


A New Order

by Swellwriting



Series: A New Order [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: F/M, Jedi, Nostalgia, Space Politics, The New Republic - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21684760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swellwriting/pseuds/Swellwriting
Summary: Leia & crew visits Chandrila, The Senator meets Luke, books are read, plans are made, Jedi training takes place, young Ben Solo is cute, The Senator leaves Chandrila to start her mission to go to the bounty guild on Tatooine (we don't know the actual planet but its a desert planet in the outer rim so it’s basically Tatooine okay.)
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Dyn Jarren/Reader, Reader/Dyn Jarren, The Mandalorian & Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader, The Mandalorian/Reader, reader/ Din Djarin, the mandalorian - Relationship
Series: A New Order [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563193
Comments: 14
Kudos: 54





	1. Knowledge meets Power

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: None.
> 
> A/N: Okay so hear me out, this chapter is a lot I know, and it’s necessary to set up the story in future parts!! I promise we will meet Mando soon I just had to get the story building out of the way. Also, I know there’s sexual tension between The Senator and Luke, trust me it serves a purpose (conflicts later on and such). I’m not just trying to sexualize everyone’s favourite Space Twink for no reason lmao.
> 
> Word Count: 3.8k

The New Republic is thriving, and you could not be more proud. Working with the Rebellion to help bring down the Empire, saying goodbye to the Old Republic, issuing the peace treaty with the Galactic Empire which was now in non existence (aside from the parts of the galaxy that remained out of reach of the New Republic where loyal Imperialists fled to hide) and demilitarizing according to the act that was issued following the treaty. 

It was work that made you feel good, confident, the kind of politics you flourished in, knowing that you were on the right side, there were no Palpatine’s rising to power, no Empire in the shadows, just plain politics working just the way they should.

It would probably make you sound insane if you were to tell anyone you were growing bored with it, well maybe there was one sole person who could understand.

“Leia!” You exclaimed as your long-time friend walked into the room. You were in Hanna City in Chandirlla, in the empty building that was sometimes the capital building for the Republic, sat in a large meeting room at a long empty table. Though you were sat alone almost every seat had books in front of it.

“I think you read a little too much,” Leia teased as she sat in the seat beside you and picked up one of the books you had taken from the Republic’s large library of books recovered from the Old Republic.

“I don't think there’s such a thing, with a galaxy so large there’s so much to learn and if we ignore the past history is bound to repeat itself.”

“And what’s your interest in the pasts of the Jedi?” She asks flipping open one of the books which contains the Jedi code.

“I think perhaps it’s an outdated religion, but I could see a resurgence if perhaps more force-sensitive people were to come forward and be willing to work together to create a new and improved Jedi Order, separated from the Republic this time.”

“So not politics related? You must be bored.”

“That’s an excellent way to put it, I feel as if I have achieved everything I aimed to with the New Republic, helping to build it into what it is today and seeing the Empire fall from power. I want to move onto other things.”

“You sound exactly like Luke, I really need to introduce you two,” she teases, knowing you have asked her countless times, then she turns to leave the room.

“You should, I’d love to meet him and see what he’s like. My strength with the force is minuscule but given what he’s accomplished, I’m sure he could teach me a few things.”

“I’ll tell him to come to meet you,” she says, her back still facing you as she leaves the room.

“Leia wait, when? Also, what are you even doing here? The New Republic’s capital was moved to Hosnian prime, you know that? There’s nothing here for you?”

“That’s not true, you’re here and you are the only person high up in the New Republic who will listen to me about the rising threat of the First Order, though small I still don’t trust them ever since they left their wing of the New Republic, they have been lurking in the shadows since, probably growing in the sess pool of the Outer Rim.” Spoken like a true princess.

“True yes, and I understand your concern but there’s nothing I can do besides sending your informative report to those above me, _again_.”

“And will you, again?” She asks and she has this sly smile, you know you can’t say no to.

“Of course, I’ll send them the report until their datapads crash and their trash compactors are filled.”

“See, that’s why I came to Chandrila! I did live here at one point too if you haven’t forgotten, Ben was born here, we like to visit.” She teases you further, knowing you meant no judgment in your question. You’re walking beside her, down the barren hallways of the fancy building. Hallways that were once bustling with people but the ever-rotating capital stays true to its promise, it is not solely on one planet, travelling from different places in the systems.

“So when do you think you can introduce me to your brother? I'm not all that busy right now, there are no elections coming up, I can travel whenever, wherever.”

“Can you walk outside?” She quips and leaves you standing there confused as she leaves the building, you follow her after a moment, doubling up your steps to catch up with her until the sunshine and the bright purple skies fill your eyes.

You follow her to the familiar-looking Millenium Falcon that’s parked in the Senate houses hangar bay, the ramp is down and you can see Chewy with a four-year-old Ben Solo on his shoulders trying to fix or adjust something on the Falcon.

Han is sat in the grass with Luke standing in front of him talking about something in-depth that looks like it’s boring Han because his head shoots up when he sees the two of you approach.

“Senator!” Han exclaims standing up and dusting himself off.

“Solo!” You say with a cheesy smile as he wraps you in a hug getting some of the dirt he failed to wipe off on your long yellow and white dress.

“I'm Solo too!” Ben yells from the top of Chewy’s shoulders.

“And how is my favourite Solo doing today.” You ask as you look up at Ben.

“I'm great!” He yells with a bright smile from you calling him your favourite.

“Luke, this is our good friend, the one I was talking to you about before we got here.”

“Hi, I’m Luke.” He says with a smile as he walks up to you, offering his hand to shake. You can instantly see the resemblance between him and Leia but Luke smiles different, perhaps a bit more cheery than Leia usually is.

“Hello.” 

“You’re the one Leia mentioned, you can uh, feel the force right?”

“Yes, but as I was telling her it doesn't mean much I don’t have a lot of control over it.” You try to undermine yourself, not wanting to make a big deal of it, something you kept secret for so long was now less taboo and it was hard to get used to even talking about it without it feeling wrong or strange.

“But you want to learn?” He asks and his voice is gentle, he seems kind and he gains your trust too soon.

“I’d like to yes, but I’m afraid I’m rather new to this whole thing, it was something I really kept to myself as I focused on politics and the New Republic.”

“But now her focus is on rebuilding a better and new Jedi Order.” Leia cuts in revealing your plans before you even properly had made them. You open your mouth but close it as no words manage to come out, trying to explain yourself.

“Well I'm new to this too, the teaching aspect, but I can try my best,” Luke assures you with a smile, he is quite sweet.

“Then you can teach me!” Ben yells as he runs to his uncle’s feet.

“Someday sure buddy.” Luke pats Ben’s hair as he looks up at his uncle with total admiration.

You bring Luke inside the Chandrila Senate House and into the meeting room where you have laid out all the books. The ceilings are tall and the walls are smooth stone as daylight pours in through the windows. He follows you in silence. You are too star-struck to talk to him and he finds you far too intimidating to say a thing. Outside when surrounded by his family he felt at ease, you were but a newcomer to him, a stranger asking him for guidance but in here you were like a princess in your palace, quickly maneuvering down the halls, your long dress flowing behind you, posture perfect and steps calculated as if the entire planet was watching you. 

He wondered if that was you unconsciously using the force or if you really just seemed to flow through space like that as if the wind existed just to move your dress as you walked.

“This is a lot of books,” he says as he enters the room behind you and picks a few to look at them, “I have been looking for some of these for a long time, do you think I can borrow them after you’ve read them, or had a droid upload them?”

“Oh,” You say flatly by accident.

“Oh?” He asks.

“I've already read them all actually, that one there I’m reading a second time, the Jedi code, for I think it’s important when building new rules to take a look at the old ones and see what needs changing, so you can take all of them if you’d like.”

“You are writing new rules?” He asks as he flips through the pages of the Jedi Code.

“Yes, I tend to approach things such as this by learning as much as I can, I wrote everything important into my notebook, I can have a droid input it onto a datapad for you if you’d like a copy of that as well?”

“Sure, has Leia mentioned my plans to you?” He asks, confused why you seem to be organizing so many things together to help create a new system and new rules and teachings for a new age of Jedi all on your own.

“No, I just became bored with the New Republic, so this was like a side project I took on, it was meant to be a much smaller thing but I couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s brilliant, I mean, you put a lot of work into something that I’ve been thinking about doing for years. I want to create a new order of Jedi like there was before like my father was in but _better_.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking! For what I lack in skill I make up for in knowledge if you need any help I’d be happy to lend a hand in any way I can.”

“Well I can teach you the ways of the force, strengthen your control over it, help you find a lightsabre of your own, and you can share some of that knowledge with me?”

“Perfect!” You exclaim as you take the book from his hands and put it down beside your notebook, taking a seat and offering him the seat beside you. He sits and moves close to you to see what your reading as your fingers trace up the page and over your delicately inked words. It was rare for someone to still use ink and paper when datapads were much more easily available and common.

“So here are a few rules I think need changing, to be more modern. I for one think The Jedi Order should be it’s own sperate entity from the New Republic while also working with them given they are the government in the galaxy, but separate to avoid and repetition... of last time.”

You explain and he nods as you flip the pages to a list of rules that you marked as outdated.

“What’s this rule you rewrote?” He asks and your face heats up as you know exactly which rule it is.

“Oh, yes that one. Well Jedi’s were all strictly ordered under celibacy in the past, and though I agree that not forming attachments is very important to the way of the Jedi I do think Celibacy is unimportant in that factor, as long as there’s no attachments involved….” you prolong the last words as you look up from the paper to find he’s already looking at you. His cheeks are flushed pink and his eyes are a bit wide as he nods his head slowly.

“Yeah, I think… I agree with you. Yes,” he manages to get the words out and you can’t help but feel your face heat up at the whole conversation topic.

“Okay, good.” You agree as Luke stands up abruptly. 

“So tomorrow, I’ll meet you back here and we can start your training?”

“Okay, I’ll be here right in the morning after breakfast.”

“Good, um wear something a little less-” Luke tries to explain but can’t find the words as he looks you up and down, your lightly coloured dress that shows your collar bones and shoulders, it puddles at your feet and is tight on your waist, taking over his thoughts

“Less?” You ask, unsure what he means and he quickly stutters to correct himself.

“No, not less. I meant um, wear something less regal, more um, something fit for agility, if you have anything… like that”

“Oh, of course,” You say as you both stand in the room awkwardly facing each other, faces hopelessly red, you can feel the nerves flowing between you through the force, neither of you addresses this as he quickly nods and then rushes out of the room.

You stand there for a moment, chest heaving as you catch your breath and calm yourself, thinking over and analyzing each word of the conversation and the dynamic which turned so awkward once you both were alone.

“I can feel the sexual energy in the room, so either you’re going to sleep with my brother or you enjoy reading these books a little too much,” Leia says as she enters the room loudly.

“No, kriff no, Leia I just, we were just. _I'm not sexually attracted to books_.” You blurt out.

“But you are to my brother.”

“What! No, I ...we were talking about rules and such.”

“That sounds like foreplay when it comes to you.”

“Leia!” You shout covering your face with your hands.

“Relax, I don’t mind, he needs a woman in his life.”

“I'm not trying to sleep with your brother or do anything besides help him bring a new Jedi Order in place and learn the ways of the force from him, nothing more.”

“Personally I think you need a little something more but if you’re fine being married to a library of books I won’t judge, regardless Ben is adamant that you need to have dinner with us, so could you part with your books long enough to eat something?” She asks and you nod, fanning your face briefly as you follow her out the door and to the nice house just outside the capital that they lived in when Ben was first born.

-

Being the Senator of Chandrila meant you never really left, it was convenient when the New Republic was based here but now you just travelled to Hosnian prime whenever they called you to a meeting or connected through holo tech.

You much preferred the quietness that lingered when the Capital of the city was so empty, your council and the few droids that kept the Senate House looking so pristine were the only people still here, aside from the residents.

In the following days, you trained with Luke and discussed the future of the Jedi. Before you knew it he was giving you a lightsabre of your own that used to belong to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han said he got it from a friend who bought it off a scrapper after the Death Star was destroyed. You had read about Obi-Wan Kenobi and you were glad to have such a respected Jedi Master’s lightsabre, one that was _almost_ lost forever.

It was the last night before your friends were going to leave Chandrila, you were confident in your skills and Luke had a good understanding of the route you two were going to take with this.

“So whats next?” You ask as you sit in the meeting room with Luke once again.

“There’s still a lot of planning to be done, we need to decide on a planet to home the school, a safe location.”

“Any places in mind?”

“Well, I have to do some travelling to find a place, there are also more books and things that I need to track down. But we mostly need students and that’s where I thought you could come in.”

“You want me to find the students?”

“For most of your life you were hiding the fact that you could feel the force, I think you know what it’s like and you are best suited for recruiting, plus your political side makes you hard to argue with. A lot of these people will be children, very young.” He pauses as he senses your nervousness at such a grand task, doubting yourself and your abilities. “I sense so much light within you, so much hope and kindness that I believe you are best to tackle this. If you want to that is.”

“No of course I do! I’d gladly take that job! I’ll take a break from my political duties with the New Republic and with the help of my pilot droid I’ll track down the future students!”

“I have a feeling, though I hope it’s not true, Han had suggested it and ever since I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“What is it?” You ask as you grab his arm, his tone turning more serious.

“You are a competent fighter and stronger with the force than I thought you would be. If I didn’t have faith that you could do this I wouldn't let you but I think the best way to track these children down is to follow rumours, the problem is that the remnants of the empire will also be following these rumours, tracking down these children, putting bounties on them. So you should go to the bounty guild, the one on Tatooine and see how many you can get information on. You may run into a bounty hunter or a few while tracking down these kids so be careful. Then when you find them bring them back here in secrecy, this is your planet I’m sure you can keep them safe here until I establish a place for the school.”

“Okay, I’ll follow any intel I can get and I’ll contact you on the holo transmitter I gave you.” You confirm, pointing the holo transmitter you gave him in his hands.

“Great, I’ll keep you updated too and once I find a planet suitable I’ll join you?”

“Okay,” you say and then smile at him, it felt good, this plan felt good. You had a surge of confidence fill your bones, he believed in you and that meant so much.

“So does this make me a Jedi now?” You tease as he gets up and goes to leave the room.

“I grant you the rank of Jedi Knight,” he jokes, though he is being serious the words feel funny on his tongue, being a teacher and a Jedi Master will be weird.

“Jedi Knight, Senator of Chandrila, member of the New Republic, I like all these fancy titles I have.”

“Well, they suit you,” he compliments as he looks over your appearance again, you still have on a fancy dress, it’s light blue and purple which resembles the sunsets on Chandrila, your light sabre is strapped to your thigh under your dress perfectly concealed if not for the high slit in your dress which makes it visible. His eyes trail up your long legs, admiring you before meeting your eyes and then nervously looking away before forcing out a cough. “I better go.”

“Talk to you soon,” you say as you had already said goodbye to your friends earlier. You watch as he walks away, haste in his step as he boards the falcon, picking up Ben who was stood on the ramp waving to you ecstatically. The Falcon doesn't fly away for a few minutes until it reopens again and Luke walks out, his droids close behind him.

You walk down the steps meeting him halfway, Luke runs up to you almost bumping into you.

“Take my droids with you, R2 can help with flying and computers and Threepio can help you with translating and keeping you company.”

“I am fluent in over six million forms of communications!” The tall golden robot says matter of factly.

“I will take good care of them,” you say with a wide smile before closing the space and wrapping your arms around Luke, encasing him in a grateful hug, “thank you.”

“It’s no problem, I wish I could give you more.” He says casually, you notice the holo transmitter is strapped to his belt, keeping it close to him. You were glad to be building this new Jedi Order with Luke, you couldn’t imagine trying to work with anyone else, he was a great teacher, a gentle soul, a bit foolish but strong with the force. 

It gave you hope, this mission should be a breeze! You watched the Falcon fly off and then went to your room to pack up some things and load your ship. You had a Star Yacht, which technically was one of the Chandrila Star Ships but you had total clearance to take yours used for travelling from Chandrila to Hosnian Prime anywhere in the galaxy as you saw fit, no one was going to question your flight plans anyways.

You had a pilot droid which was modelled after the one of a kind droid L3-37 which belonged to Lando Calrissian and got a bit of fame from freeing the slaves on Kessel. When you found the model which only _resembled_ the original droid you had to have it, though none of the personality was shared you were still glad to have a one of kind pilot droid with a personality of her own. You considered hooking her up to the falcon to take what bits of L3 that were integrated when the original droid died, but decided L3 was better off as part of the Falcon, resurrecting droids wasn’t your strong suit anyway. Your droid, L8-39 was a calm droid, precise in her piloting and hated her nickname L8 because she was in fact, _never late_.

Your ship was just meant to be a travelling ship, a yacht in every sense of the word. There was a bedroom compartment not much less than your actual room in the Senate House, it had a small kitchenette, storage, lots of guest space, a lounge room and was built for comfort and elegance with its shiny chrome exterior.

Though it had a strong shield there were little to no offensive procedures in place, you packed your blaster, your lightsabre and some other handy things that remained after the demilitarization act and decided with your fancy ship, L8, Threepio and R2 you were more than capable.


	2. The Delia Pavorum Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Senator gets her first bounty which results in flying back and forth between Arvala-7 and Navarro, L8 is annoyed and The Senator is also really starting to get annoyed with this bounty hunter who seems to always be two steps ahead of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None.
> 
> A/N: If I could write an entire chapter dedicated to describing The Senator’s dresses and outfits, I would. The Senator gets the nickname/ codename of Delia in this chapter that will be used throughout the story, I hope you like it R2 picked it and it will hurt his feelings if you don't. The Senator goes from “I hate this guy”, to comparing him to a Star! back to “I hate this guy!”
> 
> Word Count: 6k 

**Warnings:** None.

**A/N:** If I could write an entire chapter dedicated to describing The Senator’s dresses and outfits, I would. The Senator gets the nickname/ codename of Delia in this chapter that will be used throughout the story, I hope you like it R2 picked it and it will hurt his feelings if you don't. The Senator goes from “I hate this guy”, to comparing him to a Star! back to “I hate this guy!”

**Word Count:** 6k 

What does one wear when tracking down bounties like this? Should you wear some sort of disguise to help you lay low and not attract attention? Because if so you would have to buy a whole new wardrobe since you are used to wearing long dresses to Republic meetings and looking good in the public eye. The people of Chandrila are proud people with strong political beliefs, they would never elect a Senator that looked sloppy and not well put together.

You decided to pack a mix of things, many elegant dresses, clothes good for fighting and some things to cover up with, since Chandrila had very calm warm weather year-round you often wore light dresses and few layers, especially compared to some of the other Senators stiff-looking regal outfits.

“Perhaps pants would suit you well,” Threepio says nervously as you drop another five dresses across his arms.

“Perhaps you are right Threepio, but the three pairs I packed are all I own, don't be worried I can fight well in a dress too, they have slips built-in.”

“I have never seen Master Luke fight in a dress.”

“Does he usually wear dresses when  _ not _ fighting?” You ask with a giggle at the image in your head.

“No, the mistress though, she wore dresses often, though they didn’t seem to limit her much. Maybe some wraps would come in handy, especially in the Outer Rim, an awful desolate place those planets are, desserts and sand are just everywhere!”

“ _ I hate sand _ , the Silversea beach here has a type of sand like no other, it’s firm and doesn't blow around and get everywhere. Wraps and scarfs sound like a good idea.”

R2D2 whirs as he almost trips over a suitcase while entering the room. You were fluent in binary so you understood him immediately.

“No R2 I don't think I need armour, nor do I have any.”

R2 whirs again.

“No, I don't have a helmet either.”

“Oh dear,” Threepio says as you wave for him to follow you out of the room, loading the last of your items onto the ship.

“I will start hanging these in the wardrobe compartment in your room.” Threepio declares stepping ahead of you as you step into the ship and spin, taking it all in. This would be your home for who knows how long, you better not forget anything.

“Did you pack enough dresses?” L8 asks as she enters from the pilot compartment and looks at the pile of dresses both on the chairs and in Threepio’s arms as he tries to walk to the bedroom compartment.

“Well not all of us are droids who don't need clothes.”

“You don't need such a large amount of dresses, you might weigh down the ship with all of these.”

“Very funny L8, I actually read the ship’s manual so I-,” you go to argue but she interrupts you.

“Of course you have read the manual.”

“Have you not?” You ask and to anyone else, it would seem like you two were in a heated argument but the smile on your face says otherwise.

“It’s programmed into my brain, you can check if you’d like,” she asks and pulls a wire from the back of her head to pretend to give to you. You wave her off with a giggle and she goes back into the small room at the front of the ship leaving the door open and clicking on some buttons preparing the ship to leave.

“Have everything? There aren't any dresses you left behind?” L8 teases.

“I think we are good to go when you are.” You confirm and watch as the droid perfectly takes off and brings you into space, you watch as the city capital fades away, the tall Senate house building shrinks, the purple skies blur, they all fade to nothing but the planets surface and the silver seas, the only parts that can be seen from space. Seeing the planet looking so small made your heartache, you would miss your home.

L8 had explained to you how space travel works since you had only flown around the core planets, you would travel to a planet called Nevarro in the Outer Rim using hyperspace, there is these sort of lanes that are direct routes for such journeys but it still takes a few hours to get there. You can travel without these lanes in hyperspace but it required multiple jumps and having to avoid space junk, the lanes were a clearer path.

The brown dirt and grey buildings of Navarro reflected on the metallic colour of your ship as it landed, the New Republic logo was painted in a deep purple colour near the back of it showing everyone just who you were. Where you landed was the main town where there was a village type place with stone buildings and stone walls with a ship bay just outside of the cantina.

It was a busy place, lots of bounty hunters looking for their next bounty target, eager for money, not eager for any newcomers to be stepping in. You tell L8 to guard the ship and hope nobody bothers her. 

Threepio and R2 follow behind you as you walk into the cantina. Han had told you that the name of the leader of the guild was  Greef Carga and sent the directions to your datapad of where you could find him. That brought you to this cantina. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared as you walked in, a pretty face, a baby blue dress that was cut to your shoulders, layers of chiffon and poufy sleeves with a bejewelled belt across your waist and flowers on the neckline, it was far too fancy for a place like this, but you were too proud to give up your Senate outfits just yet.

Your hands clasped in front of you, head held high as you scanned the room, a man was sat at a table in the center, he had this smirk on his face and this confidence to him that gave away instantly that he was not just another bounty hunter, he was the leader,  _ he made the rules _ .

You walk over to him, no one in the bar has stopped starring but you pay them no mind.

“Can I sit?” You ask, voice sweeter than honey as you take the seat before he even has a chance to answer.

“What’s a woman like you doing all alone out here in the outer rim?” His voice is pleasant but condescending in tone nonetheless.

“Why I'm not alone, I have two droids with me currently, and more on my ship. I can handle myself quite well regardless.”

“I'm sure you can,” he smiles and leans closer, “how can I help you because I assume you didn’t come all this way to sit here with me.”

“Well, if you are Greef Carga, then  _ yes I did _ .” You fold your hands on the table, posture perfect and shoulders squared, looking as serious as possible.

“And what do I owe the honour?” He chooses his words carefully as if he is speaking to royalty, you do look the part.

“I’m interested in some bounties, I hear you’re the guy to come to for such things.”

“Are you a member of the guild?” 

“No, but I’d like to be if that’s what I need to go after some bounties”

“You’re gonna go after bounties?” 

“That is what I said is it not?” You tilt your head, mimicking his condescending tone.

“Well we don't let just anyone join the guild little lady-” he starts to explain but you cut him off raising a hand.

“Of course, I know that. What’s the buy-in price, of a membership?” You ask knowing full well there isn’t one, but subtle bribery is your only way in right now.

“Buy-in price... why yes there is, but your republic credits aren't worth much out here.”

“How’s Nova Crystal work for you?”

He was taking a sip of his drink when you said that and he almost spits it out at your words.

“Nova Crystal?” He asks, astonished. Nova Crystals were not an official form of currency, but they have a very high value and are often used to trade, it would be a very good form of payment that no bounty hunter would deny, it was second best to Beskar around here.

“Yeah, would six be fine? It’s all I have with me.”

He’s shocked, and your innocent face plays off very well giving him the idea that you have no idea the value of such things.

“Yes, six is good,” he confirms so you stick your hand down to R2 as he moves towards you, opening a compartment and taking a small silk string bag out to give to you, you slide it to the middle of the table but keep the bag in your hands so he can’t take it quite yet. Everyone in the bar is still watching the interaction.

“So I come to you for bounties then, I’d like to see my choices today.”

Greef reaches in his jacket as he grabs four pucks and places them on the table.

“I have quite a few easier ones I could give you.”

“I'm not here for easy, what are they wanted for.”

“These are all bail jumpers, and one thief,” he clicks them on so the wanted holo pictures light up. You examine the faces and think it over in your head, thieves and bail jumpers aren't what you’re looking for.

“I'm looking for something else, different.”

“Well these are the only pucks I have-” he tries to explain but stops as you pull the bag of Nova Crystals away from him, “-wait! There’s one more, but no puck and you have to meet the client, direct commission, deep pocket, but I would walk there. It wouldn't be smart to bring your New Republic labelled ship to their front doors.”

“Not my ship, I’m borrowing.”

“Sure. Take this chit, go down that way once your outside and around the corner. If they don't let you in you can come back to me and I’d gladly give you a bail jumper to go after.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll have no problem.” You slide him the bag of Nova Crystals and tuck the chit card into the top of your dress under the layers of blue chiffon and flowers, you stand up, dust off your dress and give Greef a nod before you turn swiftly and leave.

Down the street and around the corner is a door surrounded by stone walls, Threepio and R2 follow closely behind you.

“Are you sure this is safe, this isn’t how the guild is supposed to work!” Threepio whispers nervously as he follows behind you.

“It’s fine Threepio.” You knock hard on the door, a camera pops out and looks at you so you hold up the chit card, the door opens and a droid is waiting for you, it says something in an alien language you don't quite understand.

“It wants you to follow but says we must stay outside.” Threepio scoffs like its the rudest thing he’s ever been told.

“Okay,” you nod and enter behind the droid, “I won’t be long, wait for me here.” You assure your droids before the door closes. You follow this new droid to a room and when the doors open there are four stormtroopers holding blasters, staring at you. Boy, are you glad you aren't wearing your New Rebulpic pin today.

You walk in, head held high and swallowing your fear.

“Greef Carga said he was sending another Bounty Hunter, though now I am a bit confused.” An old man sat at a table says as he stares you down.

“Disappointed?”

“No, he also said you wouldn't need any downpayment.”

“No that won’t be necessary.” You confirm with a nod.

“Regardless, now I'm rather curious why he sent us someone who appears to be of royal lineage, or perhaps a Senator to the New Republic.”

“I'm no Senator,” you laugh as you take a seat, ignoring the guns aimed in your direction, “but I’m glad my disguise works well, I was in Honsian prime recently, needed a disguise to fit in, to steal a ship and such, haven’t had much time to find a new one.” You smile as you lean forward and slide him the chit card.

“You have no reputation,” he argues.

“Do I need one?” You arch an eyebrow at the old man, trying not to be disgusted by him and his clear Empire alignment.

“Not particularly, the last bounty hunter we sent hasn’t returned so we are trying all options. Here is the tracker, the target is 50 years old, that’s all I can provide.”

“Perfect.”

“We require the bounty delivered alive. Payment will be in Beskar is that fine with you?”

“I prefer Nova Crystals, but Beskar is fine.” You take the tracker and stand up, twirling towards the door.

“Be careful, many competent men have lost their lives going after this bounty.”

“Good thing you’re sending a competent woman then!” You say as you wave without turning to look at them.

Another person enters the room, you sense them and turn to look as the door opens and a scientist walks in, he stares at you, then looks at the old man. You don't care to ask who he is, you have a bounty to catch, and then  _ possibly _ return.

As you leave the room and walk down the hallway the scientist speaks.

“Who was that?” He asks, sounding nervous.

“Another bounty hunter.”

“But we sent The Mandalorian, he’s supposed to be the best in the parsec so why send another, it hasn’t been that long we should give him more time.”

“I'm curious to see how she will do. I think perhaps she may be the daughter of a royal going rogue, breaking the rules, might as well give her the tracker. If she does get killed we will hear about it on the holonet, then we can know who she is.”

“You really think she will die?”

“I know she will.” The old man declares, underestimating you.

-

You walk with your droids back to your ship and hand the tracker to L8.

“Can you bring me there?” You ask and she almost laughs.

“Can I bring you there? Can I follow a tracker? Of course, I can. Let’s go.”

“Senator,” Threepio begins to ask but you stop him, holding your hands in front of you.

“Don't call me that, I need a different name, a bounty hunting alias”

R2 whirs out an idea instantly.

“The Delia flower?” You ask and R2 whirs again.

“Ah yes, the Delia flower, they grow on Chandrila. ‘Master Delia’ suits you quite nicely given you wear floral patterns quite often, and you are from Chandrila!” Threepio says excitedly.

“Okay, that’s fine, continue what you were saying Threepio.”

“Oh, where was I, um oh yes. This bounty, what makes you think it’s someone with the force?”

“Well, the target may be 50 years old, which is rather old considering most Jedi’s were whipped out. And I have no reason to think they are, it’s just the best bounty I could get my hands on, maybe if I do this one I can get more, gain the trust of Greef Carga.” You explain and Threepio is right, there is no reason you should be going after this bounty but something in your mind told you it was important, the force helped you sense that it was the bounty that was best. For what reason you aren’t sure but perhaps it will help send you down the right path.

“We are actually going after a real bounty, are you equipped for such things!”

“I think so.”

“You think!”

“We will be there in about an hour,  _ Master Delia _ ,” L8 says sarcastically.

You nod at the droid and then look back to Threepio who seems to be blowing a fuse from stress.

“Threepio, it will be fine just trust me.”

“I have a bad feeling about this!” He declares before sitting down in the lounge section of the ship.

-

After an hour of travel L8 brings you to the desert planet of Arvala-7, it looks rather empty.

“We will have to land here and then walk, I can’t tell how close we are to the target,” L8 says as she lands the ship bringing a cloud of sand into the air.

“Perhaps you should change for the climate.” Threepio almost begs.

“Good idea,” you go to your room and pull out a black pair of pants, they are soft cotton, tight-fitting yet loose at the same time, easy to fight in as you learned while training with Luke.

You wrap your arms and chest in white fabric and pull a sort of vest over top, you put a belt tight around your waist and hips securing your holster to it to hold your blaster and clip your light sabre on too. You pick a pair of closed boots to stop the sand from getting in and as you leave the room to leave the ship Threepio hands you a light brown cloak that you have no idea where he got it from. He is more of a worried mother than a droid.

You give him a smile as you pull the cloak on and pull the hood over your hair which is still elegantly tied back in a mix of braids and twists.

You go to walk down the ramp and before Threepio and R2 even get down to help you, you see a man, sitting on some sort of animal, you turn to Threepio to ask him what it is.

“Those are Blurgs, they can be hostile creatures!” He yells as he takes a step backwards.

The Blurg without a rider runs towards your ship so you take your blaster out and shoot it down, the man who is riding the other Blurg just watches.

“Did you come here to shoot Blurgs?” The man asks as he comes towards you.

“No, I’m a bounty hunter.”

“Oh, I did not expect that a Bounty Hunter would ride in a shiny New Republic ship.”

“It’s stolen.” You offer.

“If it’s the bounty you seek, you are too late.”

“Too late?”

“I have spoken,” he says and goes to leave, starting to turn the Blurg

“Wait, what do you mean too late?”

“The one you seek is already off the planet, the bounty hunter left not long ago, I will answer no more questions, I have spoken.” He is clearly annoyed at you for simply being here.

“I’ll pay you, I have credits, for information.” He stops the Blurg and turns to you again.

“I will take the Blurg if you load it onto here for me, then I will answer your questions.”

“Okay.” You nod and walk towards the Blurg, you push it onto its back and realize it is just as heavy as it looks.

The man just watches you as you look back to Threepio and R2 who offer no help. You take a deep breath, annoyed as you look to the sky, the man waits patiently. You wanted to hide your abilities from people, and you aren’t sure yet if you can trust this man, but you have reached a dead-end, and you aren't about to torture him for answers.

You put your blaster away and step back, close your eyes and feel the force moving around the dead Blurg, you reach out to touch it and feel the force buzz at your fingertips. It’s not hard to move, you had done a lot of training with Luke doing similar things, it lifts off the ground and onto the trailer the man has attached to the other Blurg he is riding.

“Interesting.” The man says and then doesn't wait for you to ask any questions before he speaks again. “The one everyone sought out was but a child, he was green-skinned, with big ears, very small. He could walk but could not talk. A bounty hunter, a Mandalorian, came and was just one of many but the only to succeed. After he got his parts back from the Jawas he left the planet with the child. I do not know where he was going with it.”

“It’s a child?”

“Yes, one of a species I have never seen, with abilities like yours.”

Your eyes widen at the realization and your heart pounds in your chest.

“He would be going to return the bounty, on Nevarro!” Threepio realizes, connecting the dots.

“Thank you!” You yell and run up the ship’s ramp before running back down, “do you need any help with that?”

“I can handle it.”

“Thank you!” You yell again as the ship door starts closing.

“I have spoken.” The man nods, hoping you are the last bounty hunter to come this way, knowing full well that you are no true bounty hunter at all.

So you get back onto the ship, much to L8’s annoyance and head back to Nevarro to the Bounty Guild to hopefully get to the child before The Mandalorian could return him to the Imperialists.

You questioned how a child could be 50 years old, Threepio had no answers, he couldn’t think of a species that aged so slowly. How could a Bounty Hunter take a child like that and then bring them to the Empire, sure this was the outer rim and the New Republic wasn’t as powerful out here but to willingly work with old Empire castaways and then bring them a child would be way low. 

The remnants of the fallen Empire don't have any use for children nor the capability to take care of one, you worried about what they would do to it, or if they just wanted it... wiped out.

You were late to the chase which was becoming a very annoying pattern so far. By the time you got the bounty tracker and flew to Arvala-7 The Mandalorian had already been there, retrieved the bounty and probably gotten back to Nevarro just after you left. The tracker was still clicking though, so as long as it was active you were fine, it had stopped working for about twenty minutes at the beginning of the journey back but all was fine now.

You’re finally about to land on Nevarro, in the ship bay just outside the cantina, when you see lasers firing and an explosion.

“L8, hover a safe distance away!” You yell and run to a window, Threepio hands you the macrobinoculars and you look to see what’s happening.

“What’s going on!” Threepio yells so you hand him back the device.

“Looks like they’re fighting someone who’s hidden in the back of a truck, oh blaster bolts who are those people flying!” You yell as you look out the window without the macrobinoculars since Threepio still has them.

“They appear to be Mandalorians, based on their armour pattern and helmet shape, they seem to be protecting that one, oh he’s running to his ship.”

“Does he have the child?” You ask as you pry the goggles away and look closely, you see him holding a bundle in his arms, safe to say that it’s the child and you don't want to miss your chance so you decide to follow him.

“Activate the reflector shield!” You tell L8 which makes the ship even more reflective, making it appear to be invisible, especially in space.

You watch as the Mandalorian flys off.

“Follow him! Keep a safe distance.”

“Got it,” L8 agrees and quickly follows behind The Mandalorians ship, R2 starts connecting the tracker into the ship’s interface in case he jumps to lightspeed so you don't lose him, a trick that might not work if you are too far away.

L8 Follows him and stays as close as she can without getting too close, reflector shields aren't perfect and from far away in space work great but up close can be faulty.

“If he is going back to Arvala-7 I’ll give up, flying back and forth is driving me crazy.”

“Can droids be driven to insanity?”

“When they work for you? Yes easily,” L8 says as she is mostly focused on the task at hand, you sit with Threepio and try not to worry. You have so many questions and so many things that remain unanswered.

You follow The Mandalorian for a while, no one else is on his tail and L8 seems confident that she won’t lose him so you let yourself relax a bit.

“I wonder what could have happened to cause all that fuss?” Threepio wonders out loud, R2 whirs in response and then goes to the pilot’s compartment and connects to one of the computers.

“Good idea R2, locate the secure bounty guilds channel and see if anyone put up a message.”

It doesn't take long for R2 to find a small paragraph, it states that the bounty has been stolen from the client, there is a bounty out on The Mandalorian and the bounty for the child is still open with ample reward available for whoever brings them both in.

“So he brought the child back and then what? Changed his mind, stole it back and then caused a whole gunfight to getaway? Why bring it there in the first place.”

“He was just doing his job, maybe his conscience got the best of him, maybe he got attached to the kid.”

“I still think he’s got laser brains for even going back there in the first place once he found out it was just a kid, he should have known from the start not to trust Imperialists.”

“Not everyone is as perfectly politically aligned as you.” L8 pokes fun at you and you roll your eyes. “He seems to be landing on this planet, I’ll hover for a bit before landing so it’s not suspicious.” 

“Good idea I’ll go change, this doesn't look like a dreadful desert planet.”

“Yes, you can wear a fancy dress.” L8 jokes as she sets the ship to hover, keeping the reflector shields up.

You go back into your room and sort through your dresses in your wardrobe compartment, this planet looks much like Chandrila in the sense that this one had greenery and calm looking skies, not hot sand or cold ice. Your cover story of having stolen this ship can stay, the codename Delia can stay but you can’t pretend to be a bounty hunter here. Instead, you would pretend to be the daughter of a royal maybe, so you had to pick a dress to suit your story and make you seem as nonthreatening as possible, one that also concealed your weapon.

You started thinking up your cover story as you picked out a dress. The one you picked was a white cream colour, thin straps with a long skirt, it had a sheer layer of fabric overtop with flowers sewn into it around the neck and collarbone area and long sheer sleeves that had excess fabric around your wrists. It did have a tight slip in the underlayer which meant it stayed in place so even though it didn’t look practical it was and that was important.

It made you look vulnerable and gentle and  _ royal _ . You strapped your lightsabre underneath to your thigh and hid you blaster in R2’s compartment. You didn’t have a crown to wear so you braided your hair, with help from Threepio, across your head in a thick band and let the rest hang down since it was all crimpled from your past braids. With glitter on your eyelids and gloss on your lips, you looked almost like a space angel, running away from a life that was too good, unaware of the harshness the galaxy holds.

L8 hovers while Threepio keeps a watch through the macrobinoculars, they watch as The Mandalorian enters a small food-based cantina type place and decide it’s a good time to land. This planet is a lot less populated than Chandrila, with no main cities or tall buildings.

You leave the ship, R2 and Threepio close behind you as you walk through the curtain doors, a woman greets you instantly, the place is full, food steams and people chatter. She directs you to a table.

He is not hard to spot, his Beskar armour makes him stand out unless of course, he was standing beside your ship which might be the only thing he could camouflage against, either that or  _ a star _ perhaps.

You see the child instantly and feel him through the force, you try not to stare.

“That is him.” Threepio tries to whisper as if you did not know that.

The lady serving takes an order from the man and you see him starring past her at a woman across the room from him, you can sense the tension.

“Welcome travellers, can I get you anything?” She asks and you’re a bit distracted but it would be strange to come here and not order anything so you do.

“What do you recommend,” you ask sweetly, smiling up at the woman and strengthening your back fixing your posture.

“Spotchka perhaps?”

“Sure I’ll have that, thank you,” as soon as she walks away you notice the Mandalorian leaving in haste and the woman is also gone, you haven’t paid for your drink yet so you don't leave, you sit and watch as the woman brings the child a cup and then comes to bring your drink to you. You give her the money and tip her nicely, you have a royal type persona to uphold, you need to make it seem like you value money differently than others.

You sip the drink and watch the child walk quickly across the room and out of the building, you follow him outside.

The Mandalorian and the woman are fighting, with fists only, neither using their weapons they so easily could, so you just stand behind the child and watch, taking notes on your potential opponent. They draw their guns, pause and look at the child and then up at you.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to intrude on your alleyway brawl,” You say delicately.

The child is stood at your feet, drinking his soup. The two stand up, seemingly ignoring you.

“Want some soup?” He asks her and they walk past you like you don't even exist.

Shortly after you walk back into the cantina, they are talking sitting at a table together. You watch them casually, listening to what they are saying with the help of a hearing com device R2 gave you.

She is not a bounty hunter and she claims this planet meaning he will have to leave meaning you will have to leave. The problem is he’s seen your face, barely since he chose to ignore you, but still. If you show up on the next planet he will catch onto you and you don't want to risk losing his trail again. You need to find him and talk to him at his ship before he leaves and somehow convince him to give you the child.

You go back to your ship, which is discretely parked close to his behinds some trees in a small clearing, you wait a while and kill time, sitting in the grass with Threepio listening to him talk and talk about his worries, he has a lot of them. Once night falls a bit you go to the forest between your two ships trying to see where he is, there are lights on outside his ship and he seems to be making repairs but you don't see him or his shiny armour anywhere.

You peak around the tree further until you feel cold metal press against the back of your skull.

“Who are you.”

“Nobody.”

“Why are you spying on me, following me, hiding in the forest at night?”

“Long story.” You try to explain but the words are lost on you.

He pushes your head forward as if telling you to walk out of the cover of the trees and you oblige, lifting your dress with your hands and walking out to stand closer to his ship, he walks in front of you still pointing the weapon at your head.

“Tell it then.”

“It’s not very interesting.”

“I didn’t ask if it was interesting.” Well, he’s snarky, isn’t he?

“Look, I’m sorry for following you around, I just saw you at the cantina and was intrigued, I really don't mean to intrude, I’m just... the creature you have with you is  _ very interesting _ .”

“Who are you? What are you doing out here? You come here in a shiny New Republic ship, bright purple logo and all, you think that’s safe out here in the outer rim? No guards no crew just droids? You cant trust droids.”

“I trust my droids. Wait, have you been spying on  **me** ?” The only way he could know any of that and the only way he would have found you in the forest would have been if he was also doing the same thing as you,  _ spying in the forest _ , what a hypocrite. You continue to walk towards his ship, he lowers his weapon but keeps it held in his hands.

“Answer the question.”

“I'm Delia, and you are?” You ask hoping to get a name out of him.

“Okay, you are a Mandalorian with no name, okay that’s fine. Anyways I’m from a royal family and for my safety, I won’t tell you of which planet. My cousin died and I got moved up in line for the throne, still, a fair way away but they wanted to begin prepping me just in case my other two cousins die and I have to be queen. If you must know I didn’t want any part of that, so I stole a ship, grabbed my droids and left. Is that a good enough answer for you.”

“So you are some princess running away from home, all alone on a strange planet in the Outer Rim, spying on people in forests. Smart kid.”

“I'm not a kid and I can handle myself quite fine.”

“What’s your fascination with the child then? What’s the point of spying on me from the woods?”

“Well I don't know how to tell you this but you aren't the most approachable person.” You scoff with fak disdain that’s becoming more and more real by the minute.

“Look. Go back home, go back to your royal castle and your fancy planet, you aren’t cut out for life out here I can tell you that. Keep your nose out of other peoples business, don't go anywhere without a weapon and don't put all your trust into droids. You’re going to get yourself killed flying around in that ship it’s like a moving target, people out here aren't so kind to the New Republic.”

“Who do you think you are, telling me how to live my life and judge my ship, look at yours? It’s older than you and me combined. I can handle myself quite fine as I said before!” You argue, crossing your arms.

“Just get out of here,” he comments and goes to walk towards his ship but you run up beside him.

“Wait, I came here to make you an offer.”

“I don’t want your offer.”

“Well, won’t you at least hear me out.”

“If it means you will go away, then fine.”

“I’d like to buy the creature from you, I have lots of credits on my ship to pay you for him.”

“He is not for sale, you are not capable to take care of him and never tell anyone you have credits on your ship are you looking to get robbed?”

“Are you going to rob me!” 

“Maybe I’m a pirate  _ you don't know anything _ .”

“I know I want the creature and you are going to sell him to me.”

“Then you really don't know anything, get. out. of. here.” He says flatly and you can tell by his tone he can’t be bribed. 

You need to go back to your ship and think of another way to ask him and make him understand. You won’t let this bounty hunter keep this child he so carelessly gave away once before, what he would give it to the Empire but won’t even consider selling it to you?

This guy is  **impossible** .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Check out my Tumblr @swellwriting for more! I only post series on here and I'm planning a Mando one-shot ( that will be pure smut) so go to my Tumblr if you don't wanna miss out!!! :)) (or my wattpad @swellwritingW)


	3. Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You don't give up on The Mandalorian and plan to get that bounty off of him, but when you go to his ships he’s gone. You track him into the forest but your timing couldn’t have been worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a bit of violence
> 
> Word Count: 3k

The holo transmitter beeps loudly from where it’s plugged in by the main ship controls. R2 whirs and quickly goes to turn it on and accepts the transmission excited to hear from Luke.

“Senator!” Luke’s voice crackles through once the call is accepted but is met with only the top of R2’s head, “oh, R2 where is the Senator?” 

R2 goes to get you, he almost rolls right into you as you’re leaving your room whirring about how Luke is on the transmitter. You quickly go to it and sit down.

“Hey Luke, how are you?” You ask sweetly, glad to see him.

“I'm good, haven’t found anything much yet but we are getting close, how about you? Any luck with the bounty’s?”

“Yeah, I managed to bribe the bounty guild leader, found myself in a room with a bunch of ex-imperialists and then acquired a bounty. The only problem was another bounty hunter, a Mandalorian, beat me to it. He decided to not give up the bounty and long story short I tracked him to this planet but he doesn't want to give up the bounty to me, I’m not sure how to convince him.”

“Are you sure the bounty is a potential student?”

“Yeah, they are a strange species, green skin with big ears, very small even though they should be 50 years old and someone I met while tracking them down told me the child even used the force. So I don't plan to give up anytime soon, I’m going to try again in the morning.”

“I should have spent more time teaching you Jedi mind tricks to be more persuasive but I’m sure your political experience will pull through! Good luck and goodnight! Don't give up on the bounty, talk to you soon.” He smiled and waved, his holographic version of himself mimicking the movement.

“Goodnight,” you reply and then ended the call and went back to your room to continue getting ready for bed, L8 was watching The Mandalorian’s ship making sure he wasn’t going anywhere during the night.

Morning came all too soon, you rolled out of bed and tried to pick a dress that made you look...like you should be trusted, which isn’t really a way to describe any dress, but you wanted to save your pants for another planet with a harsher climate. Who knows when you would have a chance to wash your clothes.

The dress you picked was a deep blue, it has a layer of see-through blue chiffon over top with gold constellations covering it and a matching cape that fell down your back and to the floor. The dress went all the way up around your neck covering your chest in the gold stars and fell all the way to your feet. There were no sleeves past your shoulders just the chiffon cape covering your arms. 

You pulled your hair back and put it into two buns on the sides of your head leaving a few strands to fall in your face, blue glitter eye shadow and lipstick to match, it was regal and maybe a bit too much considering all you had planned to do today was barter with The Mandalorian. This is why you put your hair up, wanting it out of your face in case you had to have more  **aggressive negotiations** . 

Your dress made it look like you were too fragile to put up a fight but in reality, the cape and the many layers concealed your weapons well, the high neck kept everything in place and the sleeveless design meant you could move your arms freely if you needed to use your lightsabre. You were more prepared to fight than you looked.

You step off your ship with your droids close behind you and walk through the small area of trees between yours and The Mandalorians ship. The ship door is closed and you don't see him anywhere, you knock loudly on the metal, using a bit of the force making the sound echo loudly inside the ship, no answer... where did he go?

Around your wrist is a gold bracelet, it’s a closed network com-device connected to the ship, R2 and Threepio have them built-in as well, you bring it closer to your mouth and speak.

“L8, you said you didn’t see him leave into town?”

“I didn’t, but my view is obstructed, if he walked into the forest across from his ship I wouldn't have been able to see him, scan the forest and see if he’s there,” L8 suggests and R2 does exactly that but finds the forest is empty.

“Perhaps we should come back later,” Threepio says.

“Come back? But what if the child is in there right now!” You argue with the droid.

“What if the bounty hunter is in there?” Threepio voices his concern.

“Then he should have answered when I knocked, we are running out of time here.”

You raise your hand, closing your eyes trying to visualize his ship and the mechanics that open the door, you turn the lock and swing the door open letting the ramp down and then grab your blaster, still wanting to keep your identity as a Jedi a secret.

With your gun raised and ready, you board the ship but it’s empty. You look around everywhere at all his things, check hidden compartments but nothing is there. Where the hell could he have gone?

“L8 the ships empty, are there any other places he could have gone on this planet.”

“There’s is a village, it’s secluded and hard to get to, scan for footprint tracks and see if you can get there.”

“How far is it?”

“Pretty far, since you will have to walk, I can’t fly the ship there.”

You leave The Mandalorians ship and relock the door making it appear as if you had never been there.

After trekking through the rough forests, getting lost, detangling R2 from the roots countless times and then spending the night sleeping against a tree trying to follow the verbal directions from L8 who is back at the ship, you are beyond annoyed with this. 

Who just leaves their ship unattended like that? Who takes a child into the forest like this? What is he even doing at that village that’s so important? So many questions and so much disdain for this bounty hunter who’s doing everything  _ unknowingly _ to piss you off.

Your cape is a bit torn near the bottom, your slip-on shoes are horrible for this walk and you’re running out of supplies in the bag you got Threepio to carry. 

The group starts walking again but you’re not focused on what’s happening in the forest. So busy dwelling on your thoughts that you don't notice the plant in front of you, it cuts your leg open making you mutter a swear to yourself. It’s a good idea to take a break to calm yourself, take a breath and drink from your glass bottle. 

You look back to where you came from and try to analyze the surroundings making sure you’re not walking in circles but when you turn back your droids are gone. You had assumed they heard you say “OW!” and a few other choice words and then realized you had stopped walking behind them. You hadn’t even stopped that long and the thick forest had made them disappear.

“Threepio where did you go?” You ask into your com-device.

“Master Delia, I thought you were behind us!”

“Well, I’m not!”

“We see a clearing, perhaps the village!” Threepio chimes.

“Just go, I’ll meet you there, don't cause any trouble.”

You hear some sort of ruffling in the distance, it’s night time again so it’s dark and you can’t see that far in front of you. You assume it is some sort of animal that you hear so you take out your blaster and grip it in your fingers.

Step, by step by step you will find your way out of this, but it takes longer than you thought. If the droids found a clearing how did you get so lost? You spin and walk forward trying to find a clearing in the bushes.

-

Everything is ready, the traps are ready, The Mandalorian just made it back with Cara, they are all waiting behind the cover they made for the raiders to show up and they should be right behind them but instead they see something...  _ shiny and gold _ .

“What is that?” A villager asks concerned at the shiny metal reflecting off the firelight of torches.

“Are those droids?” Another one asks and The Mandalorian looks, squinting to realize exactly which droids they are.

“Oh  **no** .”

“What?” Cara asks.

“Those are droids, they belong to some Princess who wants to buy the kid off me.”

“Where’s the Princess?” A villager asks.

“I have no idea, I’m sure her droids are about the tell us.” He groans internally at the poor timing of all of this, thinking you were a problem of the past.

“Oh, hello!” Threepio yells, waving as he gets closer.

“Who are you!” A villager yells, The Mandalorian motions for the droids to come over to him.

“What is going on here? We mean no harm, I am C3P0 human-cyborg relations! This is my counterpart R2D2! We are here with master Delia!” Threepio says trying to explain himself quickly since it looks like the whole village is ready to attack them.

“Where is she?” The Mandalorian asks.

“In the forest, we got split up but she will be on her way shortly.”

“She’s in the forest?” Someone gasps and Threepio looks at them suddenly filled with anxiety.

“We are about to be attacked by raiders, raiders with an AT-ST, coming through that forest,” Cara explains with a groan.

“Get behind the barriers.” The Mandalorian orders and the droids listen ducking behind the barries beside him.

“Master Delia, are you okay?” Threepio asks into his com-device attached to his wrist.

“Yeah, are you guys there yet? I have no idea where I- oh no, what was that?”

The Mandalorian takes the droids’ wrist and speaks into it. “You’re about to have a hoard of raiders charging at you through the woods, I’d hide somewhere if I were you.”

“Don't hide! Run master Delia  **run** !” Threepio yells making The Mandalorian groan.

“No she can’t outrun them and she sure can’t fight them off!”

Before you know it an entire army of raiders is filling the forest behind you. You run, your shoes slip off and the branches, dirt and rocks hurt your feet as you move quickly. You aren’t prepared to fight anyone, you didn’t expect this would happen, your blaster is in your hand as you shoot behind you.

“Oh no oh no oh no!” You yell panicking, your com-device is clicked on so Threepio and The Mandalorian can hear everything happening.

“I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this!” You repeat like a mantra to yourself.

“She’s gonna get herself killed.” The Mandalorian mumbles, the words coming out fuzzy through his helmet, he doesn't feel responsible but he does feel bad, he wishes he could help you but he can’t abandon an entire village just for some spoiled Princess who’s in over her head.

“Master Delia, you can!” Threepio tries his best to encourage you.

Your bare feet are numb as they hit the ground with each step as you run through the forest. You switch your blaster to your non-dominant hand and then take out your lightsaber igniting it with a *swoosh*.

It’s so dark that you can’t see much aside from the glow of your lightsabre, the light reflecting on the leaves of the trees and the light from the torches through the clearing,  _ it’s close _ . 

You make it out but the raiders are right behind you, the AT-ST right behind them. In this clearing they are free to attack you without obstruction, there’s nothing to hide behind. You swish and cut through the ones who try to attack you with handheld weapons, while the villagers and The Mandalorian start shooting the others from behind the barriers.

Most of them are frozen at the sight. You hadn’t wanted to show off your powers you had wanted to keep them concealed. Being a Jedi wasn’t a popular or normalized thing, especially in the outer rim where it could get you killed. Most people didn’t even know what a Jedi was or what the force was, but they would kill you out of fear if you weren't careful. You hoped these people weren’t the type.

You spin and flip and stab and cut through the raiders before you quickly become outnumbered, you look around and find water ponds and jump into the one right in front of the barrier you see your droids hidden behind.

“Master Delia thank goodness you’re okay!” Threepio says into the com-device.

“Okay? I just jumped into a pond to avoid getting killed by an AT-ST this is far from okay.” You peer over the edge of dirt, the AT-ST is stopped at the edge of the water pond right behind yours. 

The Mandalorian realizes the plan isn’t working, you actually helped them quite a bit by luring the AT-ST almost exactly where it needed to go, but it stopped, and he didn’t know how to make it move. That’s when he realized he had someone in front of him who seemed to have the same powers that the kid has.

Your cape floated around you, you held the fabric close and tried to duck, not sure what to do next. Most of the raiders had been taken down by either you or the villagers.

“Hey, Princess.” You hear The Mandarloian speak through your com, he’s holding Threepio’s wrist up to his helmet.

“The names Delia actually.”

“I know, Delia, Princess, whoever you want to be, can you get that AT-ST to fall in the pond behind you, we dug it out, it’s a trap,” he asks and his voice sounds gentle, the way he talked to you the other day was so dismissive but here he is now asking  _ you _ for help.

“I can do that.”

“Okay, but stay in that pond you’re in, don't get too close to it.”

“Easy!” You say as you peer over the dirt edge of the pond. You raise your hand, the machine is heavier than anything you have ever moved but it just needs a little push to make it fall. You focus on the legs pushing and surging the force around them to do your bidding. It’s taking all of your strength, all of your focus, your fingers feel shakey, elbows weak as this drains you.

It budges little by little and then it slips in with a slow splash, the water flies through the air all the way to you, coating your hair and face. You wipe your face off and watch as The Mandalorian runs past you, plants an explosive device and then jumps into the water beside you pulling your head down as the AT-ST explodes from the inside.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to mess up your...whatever this was.”

“You actually helped, I don't know how we would have gotten it in the trap if you didn’t show up.”

A few more raiders start running away once they realize their odds of surviving this attack have gone significantly down. As tired as you are from running through the forest, fighting off the raiders and then moving an AT-ST you still jump out of the water, your dress is wet and heavy but you don't care. You shoot the one farthest away and draw your lightsabre cutting through the rest with a dramatic spin.

A fourth one you didn’t see, or sense in the force since your mind is so tired and used, comes up behind you and hits you over the head with a blunt weapon knocking you down. You almost fall onto your ignited lightsabre but quickly turn it off as your face hits the grass and dirt hard making everything start to fade to black, your struggle to stay conscious but your head is pounding and your eyelids are heavy.

The Mandalorian jumps out of the water, grabbing his weapon and shooting them down before they can hit you once more. He comes up to you and pushes you gently by your shoulder so you’re on your back, everyone else huddles around you.

He waves a hand in front of your eyes that are fluttering closed, blood mixed with dirt and water from your wet hair trickles down your forehead.

“You okay Princess?” The Mandalorian asks, the sarcastic nickname sounds a little too sincere in this moment, he’s trying to joke somehow but he’s really concerned. You’re just some royal person with no understanding of the world who should have never come out here, whether you’re more powerful than you seem or not it was too dangerous.

“I'm not a Princess I’m a Senator,” you struggle to say, stuttering your words before the world goes completely black and your head falls to the side.

The villagers lift you up gently and carry you to a bed, The Mandalorian offers his, somewhat because he feels bad but also because he still doesn't trust you and wants to keep an eye on you.

“Oh maker, she’s dead!” Threepio shrieks and R2 whirs instantly calling him stupid.

“She will be fine, some rest will do her good after we bandage her up and put some dry clothes on her.” A woman says as she follows behind the villagers who are carrying you.

The woman of the village tend to your wounds gently and change you into something dry, hanging your dress up. Your Droids sit patiently at your bedside waiting for you to wake up, unsure of what to do without you.

The Mandalorian and Cara are sat outside, obviously not wanting to get in the way.

“So who is she?” Cara asks

“Don't you remember seeing her at the cantina?”

“No, I was a little busy trying to kill you.” She laughs.

“Well as I said before she tried to buy the kid off me, I told her no, she must have come to try and find me, she told me she was a Princess or something but I guess it was all a lie. Looks like we have a Senator of the New Republic on our hands.”

“And she uses a laser sword?” Cara asks.

“Yeah, that part is news to me too.”

“What does she want with the kid?”

“I don't know, that’s what I want to find out.” The Mandalorian answers.

“I wouldn’t trust her,” Cara suggests.

“ **I don't** .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Check out my Tumblr @swellwriting for more!! <3


	4. Untrustworthy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Senator has to explain herself, Mando still doesn't trust her, it's all a game of cat and mouse really. Mando is the mouse. Trust is broken because Mando is… a mean mouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mature themes...
> 
> Word Count: 3.6k

The whole world spins as you open your eyes and struggle to see the ceiling over top of you that’s made from wooden materials instead of the shiny chrome you had grown used to.

You go to sit up but you are far too dizzy so you fall back down with a huff. You don't realize but soon there is a woman at your side patting your hair down over your forehead and trying to get you to lie back down.

“Calm down, you are in safe hands,” she coos and it’s comforting, she has a mother’s touch.

“What happened?” You mumble as your head pounds, she sees you grimace and offers you some sort of warm liquid. You take it without question and the soothing liquid warms you up as you swallow it down.

“You suffered a minor head injury, you were also very physically drained from the fight.” She answers and then continues, “we put some dry clothes on you and hung up your elegant dress to dry, you can keep those clothes.”

You look down and see yourself dressed in beige and dark grey plane clothes that are soft to the touch and very basic looking with many layers, comfortable.

“We have welcomed the Mandalorian and his partner to stay, you are welcome to stay as well.”

“His partner? You mean the child?” You ask and she shakes her head.

“No, but the child is here too, with the other children by the ponds right now.”

“She was talking about me,” a woman says as she walks in, Mando is close behind her, “Cara Dune, It’s nice to meet a Senator like yourself.” She has sarcasm dripping from every word whether she intends it or not.

Oh kriff, how did they find that part out?

“I’m not...” You shake your head forcing yourself to sit up in the bed.

“You mentioned that before you blacked out, so much for a princess,” Mando says and he sounds not  _ hurt _ but annoyed.

“I never said I was a princess I said I was in line for the throne, similar but different.”

“And it was a cover story, why?” Cara presses you for answers, she’s very bold and brazen.

“It’s true, I am the Senator of Chandrila with the New Republic, but I am not here on their behalf.”

“You’re here for the kid, why?” She asks.

“I am here on behalf of Luke Skywalker, I'm tracking down bounties that have been put on children or beings who have the potential to be future students of his at the school we are starting.”

“Does that school involve laser swords?” Cara keeps asking all the questions as Mando stays quiet behind her, listening intently.

“It does actually.” You say as you look across the room on a table to where your lightsabre is sitting, Cara goes to pick it up to look at it but you stick out your hand calling it to you and catching it.

“ _ Strange _ ,” Cara mutters looking displeased.

“Jedi are not strange, you just don't understand them, most of them were killed under Imperial order 66. But the Empire is dead and the Jedi Order will be reinstated as it once was.”

“How are you any different from the Empire then?”

“The Jedi Order worked with the Old Republic until it became the Galactic Empire, they protected democracy, they fought in the clone wars, they were the good guys, and the universe needs more of that.” You scoff offended that these people in the outer rim don't seem to know anything about history but are so quick to judge and label things. 

“I see you worked with the Rebellion, what brings you out here?” You say noticing her arm tattoos.

“It got too political when it turned into the New Republic, so I quit.”

“We need  **Political** , Politics are what helped end the war and bring on an era of peace!” You defend the system that you wholeheartedly believe in.

“Politics? They didn’t win the war, besides does it look peaceful here to you? Sure the core worlds that are protected by the New Republic fleet are peaceful but the rest of the galaxy? The Empire still exists out here in the outer rim!”

You stand up and leave the small hut, tired of this conversation, you aren't here to defend the New Republic to people who clearly can’t be persuaded.

“Senator!” The Mandalorian calls after you.

“Call me Delia, please.”

“Delia, I'm still not giving up the kid. I was thinking he’d be better-suited living somewhere... like here.”

“Here? Why not surrounded by other people and students like him? He could have great power and you want to let it dwindle out here?” You ask completely taken off guard.

The child is standing by the pond with the other kids all around him, you walk over to them and sit on the ground in front of him. There are small rocks on the ground so you find one the size of your palm and hold it in the air above your hand so it floats. The kids gawk in amazement and the child just stares at you with his big eyes. You give him a small rock the size of his hand and he mimicks you, makes it float in the air just like you, so easily. Then he grabs a frog and tries to eat it whole making you giggle as all the kids cry in protest.

“He is well connected to the force, he can lift a rock with ease, with mine and Luke’s training he could be capable of so much more.” You say as you look up at Mando, he doesn't say anything back to you he just walks away.

“Mando!” You yell after him as you follow him.

“That’s not my name,” he clarifies.

“Well, what is?” You ask but he doesn't answer, “well Mando it is then until you tell me otherwise.”

“Let me think about it for a few days,” he says waving his hand and brushing you off so you go back to play with the child and see what else he can do.

The Mandalorian is about to leave when a gunshot sounds, you were quick to sense it in the force and you stop it in mid-air. The bullet is frozen in place only meters in front of the child’s unaware face, your hand is raised as everyone gasps and The Mandalorian runs over to you. You bring the bullet to your hand and close your fingers around it before handing it to Mando, picking the child up and holding him tight in your arms.

“It came from the forest,” you say pointing and before he can go over there another gunshot sounds, but you don't sense it coming this way. You do sense someone dying though, you can feel their life force die.

“Stay here,” he orders as he walks over to the forest, Cara is there and a dead bounty hunter is on the ground. It’s a few minutes before Mando comes back holding the tracker.

“They still have the bounty on him!” You gasp, you would have known this if you had your tracker on you but it’s back on your ship. You bring your com device to your wrist, “L8, let me know if any other ships land on this planet.”

“Will do,” she answers and you heard some beeps in the background, she’s on high alert now.

“What are you going to do?” You ask and Mando doesn't know, he doesn't have an answer.

“We will have to leave.”

“I'm not letting you take him anywhere without me, wherever you go I’ll follow, I have a job to do.”

“I figured that much,” he says with a grunt.

“So when do we leave?”

“Morning. Cara and I will take turns guarding, I’ll wake you before we leave and we can walk back to our ships through the forest.”

“Why not now?” You say with worry as you stroke the top of the child’s head.

“I need to figure out where we are going first, somewhere  _ unknown but safe _ .”

“Where in the galaxy is like that?”

“I don't know.” He admits quietly, he is worried too even if his face is too hidden to show it, you can hear it in his muffled voice and feel it through the force.

-

It’s still dark outside and the sun is just starting to rise when you wake, if Mando was smart he would leave before it gets too light out. Your droids are sat in your room idly waiting for you and your heart drops when you sense that Mando and the child are nowhere near you, you can’t feel either of their life forces through the force.

You get up quickly and run out the hut door to see Cara standing outside your hut leaning against the wall.

“Where are they?”

“Gone, somewhere you won’t find them.”

“As if I’m the enemy! Where did they go?” You ask again, persistent.

“I was asked not to tell you, and to stop you if you try to follow them,” she states matter of factly and it really pisses you off. You grab your dress that’s still hung up to dry and stuff it into your bag handing it to Threepio.

“I will stop you if you try to follow them!” She yells into your hut but you ignore her, walking past in a rush until you hear the click of her loaded blaster rifle behind you.

“Really?” You ask turning to face her, “I dare you to try,” it’s a challenge as you bring your lightsabre into your hand and ignite it, it crackles bright in the dark early morning.

“Threepio, R2 go into the woods and start walking back to the ship, contact L8 for short cuts and clearings.” You order the droids and they listen. Threepio scrambles to shoo R2 along and starts worriedly mumbling into his wrist, looking back every few seconds.

“I'm going to leave now, you are going to put your blaster down and let me, so no one gets hurt.”

“Afraid I can’t let that happen, Mando paid me quite nicely to do the opposite,” she has a smirk on her face like she thinks she can take you.

“Very well then.” You raise your hand that’s not holding your sabre and pull every weapon off of her and out of her hands, you send them all onto the roof of one of the huts behind her.

“Unless you want to fist fight me, which I assure you I would still win, I'm going to be leaving now.” 

Cara has shock written on her face as she turns to see every blaster, grenade and knife she had on her are now sitting on the roof just out of her reach. You quickly run to catch up with your droids and hope that Mando isn’t too far off the planet yet and that he doesn't know you have a tracker both on the kid and one you had L8 put on his ship to track through lightspeed. 

You are relieved when you hear L8’s voice free of concern as she instructs Threepio on where to go next. It doesn't take long to meet up with L8, she flies to a risky clearing and lets the ramp down for you to all get on board.

“Did The Mandalorian leave the planet?” You ask in a rush.

“Yes, but I wasn’t monitoring for leaving ships, just arriving ones, you never told me to notify you if he left.”

“I know L8, I shouldn’t have trusted that he wouldn't leave me behind, follow the trackers and let’s find them.” If only you had not trusted him so easily, believed him when he said he would let you come with them, how stupid and naive could you be?

“On it,” L8 declares as you sit down catching your breath.

“Well, that certainly was an adventure wasn’t it!” Threepio chimes in ever so positively.

“If you call taking down a hoard of raiders who also have an AT-ST, getting minor head trauma and getting your trust broken an adventure, then  _ yes _ .”

“Head trauma?” L8 asks and you just shake your head at her not wanting to talk about it.

“I’ll be in the refresher if anyone needs me.”

“She’s going into fancy dress withdrawal, look at her shaking in those rags!” L8 mocks you with a loud laugh as she zooms through space effortlessly.

“Very funny for a droid.”

“Very fancy for a Jedi,” she teases back and you giggle before the refresher door closes and you begin to shower and change into something more,  **you** .

You decided to wear something a little different as you stepped out of the refresher, you grabbed an all-white outfit, It had tight stretchy white fabric pants, knee-high boots that blended into the tight pants, a white shirt that was longer in the middle and went past your knees. It has a matching cape that was cut out on the shoulders but had a high neck and the cape that fell long behind your back but didn’t reach the ground. It had sleeves that were detached but provided protection for your upper arms all the way over your hands and to your fingers which had cut out spaces for your fingers and thumbs. 

You pulled the front pieces of your hair back with a white tie that went across the top of your head and decided that was good enough, it was about time you wore some pants since you were ready to fight Mando for leaving you behind like that. This looked like a more serious outfit, a uniform perhaps, maybe he would take you seriously now? Probably not.

“L8 have you found them yet?”

“Of course, we are tracking them now.”

“Do we have the weapons to just shoot down his bucket of a ship and call this a day?” You exaggerate, upset that you are tracking him yet  **again** .

“No.”

“Weapons!” Threepio shrieks and you wave him off.

“I was exaggerating Threepio, no harm is to come to the child.”

“What about The Mandalorian?”

“Well if he keeps getting in my way I will have no choice but to remove him.”

Threepio gasps and backs away feeling a bit scared of you at this moment, you won’t let anything stop you or hold you back now.

“There is a ship getting closer with blaster canons hot!” L8 yells as sirens blare through your ship warning of the close proximity of danger.

“We have our reflector shields up, right? They can’t see us and neither can Mando?” You ask panicked.

“Correct but if we get hit and they notice I won’t be able to conceal us.”

“So we won’t get hit then!” You yell as you go to the front of the ship beside L8 ordering her to move back behind the ship that is attacking Mando’s and watching closely to make sure nothing too bad happens.

You close your eyes and feel for Mando in the force, get inside his head without him knowing, you feel the panic arise but he tries his best to conceal it. You feel for the child, he is unphased by all of this, he is calm, curious. The ship starts taking hits, your mind fills with worry and you have trouble staying connected to them.

“His left engine is hit!” L8 yells monitoring the whole fight while also staying close enough.

“What is he going to do!” Threepio yells as he holds on tight to the door frame, R2 whirs and spins in circles behind him, stressed out.

“Come on Mando!” You whisper to yourself, you can feel his thoughts, he’s thinking he’s going to do something drastic and possibly stupid.

“L8, slow down he’s going to stop!” You yell just as Mando stops and reverses into the ship attacking him from behind, knocking out their engine, L8 avoids getting involved in the tumble thanks to your warning.

Now that he’s behind the other ship he shoots it obliterating it into tiny orange sparkles that fill the space around you, the sparkles hit and bounce off your ship as you watch in awe.

“Don't lose him, he’s going to have to land for repairs.”

“Didn’t plan too.”

“Where does it look like he is going L8?”

“It looks to me like they are going to land on a planet in the outer rim called Tatooine.”

“Oh no, sand....” 

“Yeah, and that’s pretty much it, sand a shipyard and Hutts.”

“Great,” You complain at least glad your hair is back and your skin is mostly covered, boots high enough to keep the sand out, you hope to avoid the Hutts altogether. “Follow him in and land in a ship bay right beside the one he chooses but don't let him see you!”

“That’s obvious enough.”

You glare at the sarcastic droid who flies your ship behind Mando’s landing in the ship bay beside his. You don't even have to tell her to monitor his ship, she is still watching it on the tracker, wherever it goes you will follow.

The tracker for the child is hooked up to another computer showing he is on this ship, you wonder what Mando is going to do and how he can afford such drastic repairs, if he had brought you along you would have gladly fronted the cost, _ his loss _ . You wonder if Tatooine is as safe as a place as he thinks.

“The child remains on the ship, it’s being scanned and repaired now, The Mandalorian is leaving though.”

“I'm going to follow him.” You state grabbing your blaster and strapping it to your hip, you clip your lightsaber to the back of your pants keeping it concealed.

“Like that?”

“Like what!” You ask confused as to what L8 thinks is wrong with your outfit.

“Well it’s not a constellation lacey piece but its still bright white, you might stand out.”

“White blends with sand!”

“This is no white sand beach of Chandrila Delia, the sand here is brown and dirty, you look far to clean and out of place.”

“I’ll stay hidden!”

“Goodluck with that, you stick out like a Womp rat on Naboo.”

“Gee thanks,” you say to L8, telling Threepio and R2 to stay there, you don't need droid tracks giving away your location, you leave the ship bay, telling L8 to deal with the repairs person and to pay them to let you park there.

You follow Mando into the Mos Eisley cantina and hide in the shadows as you watch him talk to the droid serving and then sit and talk with someone you recognized.

**Toro fucking Calican** , as if this couldn’t get any worse. What the hell was Toro doing here? You knew Toro all too well, he worked as a Senate guard, he was the son of a politician but he was too stupid to ever pursue politics himself. The other guards constantly chastised him for his familial ties and he left Hosnian Prime one day to never return. He currently had the appearance of a bounty hunter or some sort of criminal, really making his parents proud here on Tatooine.

He was untrustworthy, a slimy liar, dumb as a Bantha but cute as can be which got him in your bed a time or two while he was on guard duty, so he also was not a focused or hard worker.

Your assumption is correct when you watch him place a bounty chip on the table for Mando to see, you hope he doesn't work with him, you would really rather avoid seeing Toro altogether, seeing him from across the room was already annoying.

You watch as they talk, barter and then you hear Toro say something about giving Mando the entire bounty because he’s trying to get into the guild. Stupid boy, even you got yourself into the guild, all he needed was some of his daddy’s credits to buy his way in.

Toro, like the idiot he is, smashes the tracking fob, you groan out loud. This was going to be quite the mess. You sneak out the cantina and into the sandy streets of Mos Eisley, following Mando back to the ship bay without him or now Toro seeing you.

“You’re back quick,” L8 says as you board the ship.

“With pleasant news too, you remember Toro?”

“Toro Calican, son of Senator Calican former member of the Senates Gaurd, a friend of yours!” Threepio says and L8 laughs from her pilot’s seat, standing up and walking over.

“Friend is not the right word in this situation, it’s a little more intimate than that isn’t it Delia?” L8 teases and you hide your face in your hands.

“Oh, I’m afraid I don't understand,” Threepio says and L8 pats him on the shoulder.

“I meant that she doesn't like him or consider him a friend, but he’s got a nice face and our ever so classy Senator here has slept with him on multiple occasions.”

“Oh.” Threepio nods trying to follow.

“Well now that that is established,  _ thanks L8 _ , I was going to mention that  **he’s here** , he’s trying to get into the bounty guild and he’s going after a bounty with The Mandalorian.

“They are working together?” L8 asks and you laugh this pitiful laugh for yourself.

“Yup,  **together** .”

“Well, good luck with that!” L8 says as she sits back down, you wait for Mando to leave the ship bay again to follow him. 

You look out one of your ship windows at the various things lying around in this ship bay and then turn to ask Threepio, “are there any land speeders in this ship bay you think I could borrow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! find me on Tumblr @swellwriting for more <3


	5. Old Mistakes and New problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mistake from your past makes a reappearance at the worst time and proves himself to be just as awful as you had presumed. Mando learns how to apologize and realizes not everyone is out to get him, but most are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mature themes and mature words
> 
> Word Count: 3.6k

L8 is sat in the pilot's seat at the front of your ship as she calls for you in the back, “The Mandalorian appears to be leaving the ship bay and your friend is out front of it.”

“Stop calling him my friend.”

“Your  _ lover _ ?” She teases.

“Call him laser brains or just Toro or nothing at all.”

“Well, in that case, Toro is out front with two land-speeders, I’d suggest you go see where they are going since the child’s tracker is moving towards them too.”

“So much for remaining hidden.”

“I’d suggest not revealing to Toro that the child is a bounty target,” L8 so intelligently recommends.

“Great idea L8.” You deadpan and walk off the ship and towards the two men standing outside, the child is being held by a woman you don't recognize, she appears to be a ship mechanic of some sort.

“Well, hello boys! And where are we off to on this fine sandy day?” You say in an overly cheery voice.

Mando’s head bows down as he groans, “what are you doing here?”

“Senator?” Toro says confused, he’s never seen you outside of a new Republic planet.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Mando asks, also confused.

Toro has a stupid proud grin on his face, seeing you here in front of him. He walks up to you and grabs your hand kissing it before you have a chance to pull away. “I know the Senator here, very  _ very _ well,” he has a faked suaveness to his voice that makes you grimace.

“No, you don't.”

“I beg to differ,” he suggests as he looks you up and down in your skin-tight white outfit.

“What are you doing here?” Toro asks, Mando is just watching the interaction between the two of you, wondering what the hell is going on.

“I'm just here on Tatooine for repairs at the ship bay one over and I noticed my good friend Mando’s lovely ship and came to say hi,” you lie and Mando takes note of your held back truths, you don’t seem to trust this Toro guy.

“You two are… friends?” Toro asks suggestively with jealousy biting at his tone.

“Not like that,” Mando corrects him and you can’t help the blush that rushes to your cheeks at the idea of you being with The Mandalorian in any way like that, you brush some sand off of your nose with your hand to draw attention away from your reddened cheeks.

“No, just friends,” you agree with a curt nod.

“Not even,” Mando grunts and you roll your eyes.

Toro moves even closer to you and you take a step backwards before he brushes some hair off of your face, you grab his hand tight using the force to put a little extra pressure making him back away rubbing his wrist in pain.

“So, where are you going?” You ask ignoring Toro’s furrowed brows at your annoyance with him.

“We are going after a bounty,” Mando replies.

“Who’s the target?”

“Fennec Shand,” Toro says proudly before Mando can stop him, you can’t help the laugh that escapes you.

“You’re going after Fennec Shand! The New Republic has been tracking her down for ages, there’s no way you can take her in.”

“Says you! What do you know, you’re just a Senator.” Toro argues, feeling his fragile masculinity and capabilities are being questioned.

“I'm one of the Senators who organized the capture of all of her favourite crime syndicate friends, I'm also a member of the Bounty Hunters guild which is more than you can say.”

“You are not!” Toro opposes your words like a child with no merit.

“Yes I am, I joined on Nevarro not long ago, I met with Greef Carga and everything, very official.”

“You’re lying,  _ you’re just a Senator _ .”

“I'm many things Toro, you of all people should know that.”

“I'm not leaving you here.” The Mandalorian says effectively ending your conversation with Toro, trying to get you to understand that he isn’t going to leave you here with the child but also without filling Toro in on any details.

“I've heard you say that before,” you say as you cross your arms and look up at Mando defiantly.

“She’s not coming with us!” Toro argues.

“Awe I thought you liked having me around Toro?” You fake a frown.

“I do,” he says with a gulp, intimidated by your direct gaze.

You laugh to yourself at his reaction.

“No, Mandos right. I’ll wait here for you guys to return, don't worry Mando, I’m very trustworthy, I promise I’ll be here when you get back.” You smile and Mando isn’t sure if he can trust you.

“No,” Mando argues with a shake of his helmet as Toro cuts in.

“Come on Mando, she’s super trustworthy she’s a politician!” Toro argues making Mando lose more faith in him with every word he mutters, “and if not, I can tell you where to find her on Chandrila!” He smirks and you groan bringing your palm to your forehead.

“Fine, let’s go.” Mando orders and Toro starts to drive away, Mando pauses and points at the mechanic lady. “That’s not her kid, don't let her take him.” He states boldly and then drives away with Toro and you watch them both fade into the distance.

“Hi, I’m Delia.” You smile at the lady and she looks guarded as she smiles back at you.

“Peli,” She replies as she looks you over, holding the child close.

“Mind if I hang out here until they get back?”

“Can you play Sabacc?” She asks, tired of playing the card game with just droids.

“I can!”

“Then sure,” she shrugs, you don't seem threatening to her so she doesn't mind letting you come in. All jokes aside, for a politician you are very trustworthy, you stick to your word. You promised Mando you would be here when he gets back  **and you will be** .

-

Maybe they are in over there heads, but they aren't panicked in the slightest.

Mando and Toro are sat behind a sand dune waiting until nightfall to make their move. Toro is supposed to be on watch, silently on watch, while Mando sits back and relaxes but Toro doesn't do anything  _ silently _ .

“So you and The Senator?” Toro asks suggestively.

“What about her,” Mando answers without moving a muscle from his comfortable position.

“You two, are… friends?”

“We aren’t anything like what you’re suggesting, we aren't even friends.”

“She reject you?” Toro feels prideful thinking he could get his way into your sheets but The Mandalorian couldn’t, wanting nothing more than to feel superior to him.

“No, if you must know I find her annoying and constantly in my way. There was nothing for her to reject because there is nothing between us.”

“Annoying? She’s not only the hottest Senator, but she’s also like super smart, and she’s really good in-”

“I didn’t ask about your relationship with her, I don't want to know,” Mando says back a little too aggressively cutting Toro off and catching him off guard, he’s used to boasting about you to the other guards, it was the one thing they didn’t make fun of him for. It’s due to his lack of respect for you as a person, him seeing you as an object rather than a person who deserves privacy on private matters.

“It wasn’t a relationship, very casual,” Toro tries to continue to boast but stutters to correct himself, “but very often, like all the time,” Toro lies to make himself sounds cooler to The Mandalorian.

Mando isn’t sure why this conversation is so annoying to him, maybe because it’s about you and you’re a constant inconvenience to him. Maybe it’s because Toro is also an inconvenience, maybe he’s jealous. Jealous of the idea of you letting a man like Toro touch you in any way.

But the Mandalorian is not attracted to you, well he has to admit to himself that you are attractive even in your stupid Senator dresses, and it is pretty mesmerizing to see you fight. He does like the way you look at the child, he likes the way you smile at everyone, he likes the way you constantly tease him. 

He didn’t feel bad about leaving you behind before, but now he’s been forced to think of you in another way, not as just a Senator or a princess or a Bounty hunter in over their head, but as someone with feelings, and a pretty face and nice hair that looks soft to the touch and a trusting heart and he really needs to stop thinking of you as anything but a threat, someone who wants to take the child from him. But he can’t help but feel like maybe he likes you, even if not romantically because that could and would never happen but just even as a friend, that he could work with you, that you could benefit each other like him and Cara do.

“I'm sure,” Mando finally says and he doesn't mean to make it sound like he doesn't believe him, as if he’s just humouring the idea of it all.

“Don't believe me, old man?” Toro says with a laugh. “I can give you all the details if you wanna hear them.”

“I said,  **I don’t** .”

“Well, I’m just saying-” Toro starts but Mando cuts him off.

“I wish you would stop  _ just saying _ .”

“I’ll stop, but only because I can tell you have the hots for her and it’s making you jealous knowing I’m better than you at something.”

“Can you continue your watch in silence? Just a suggestion.”

Toro huffs, still annoyed that Mando gave away his brand new goggles and was treating him like a dumb child, but never the less he stops gloating about you like some prize he used to own.

Mando crosses his arms and closes his eyes leaning against the land speeder he tries to ignore the words Toro has said, this new idea of you but he can’t. He can’t stop thinking of you, the woman who came out of nowhere, interrupted a fight between him and Cara, tried to buy the kid off of him, followed him through a forest on foot with two droids, battled a hoard of raiders, saved his ass from an AT-ST, got injured after fighting a bunch of raiders off like an absolute badass with a weird laser sword he didn’t understand, still didn’t give up and then trusted his word completely just for him to break it. 

All this time he’s thought of you as  _ untrustworthy _ when all you ever did was tell him one lie to protect yourself and keep your identity hidden when really he’s the untrustworthy one.

“She’s got a super body too, like basically perfect,” Toro mumbles, never knowing when to shut up and when too much is too much.

Mando groans to himself, he can’t wait to get rid of this guy. He also can’t wait to get back to his ship, back to you and to apologize.

-

A pit droid comes up beside you so you poke its nose making it collapse and then you poke it again to make him jump back up, making you giggle. Some noises ring through the air, it sounds like someone has come back but something feels off, there’s something wrong and you instantly sense it in the force, Peli feels scared, Toro is here but you can’t sense Mando in the force, or their bounty target. 

You instantly panic, something’s gone wrong, what did Toro do? How did he mess this up? You hear Toro arguing with Peli and hear her telling him not to touch the child but he’s not listening. You back up into the shadows to watch from a distance and understand how to tackle this ridiculous situation.

Kiff, Toro was always such a nuisance.

“I have the target that Bounty guild really wants, we’re just going to wait here until our friend Mando gets back and everything will work out!” He starts talking like a crazy person, he’s dumb and blinded by his stupid ideas and beliefs that he can do better and he won’t fail and everything will simply work out for him.

You search through his mind to find out what happened, Fennec told Toro about the bounty on both the child and Mando, Toro shot Fennec and came here for the child, but you can read in his mind that he has no plans to actually kill the child for the sake of the bounty on its head,  _ alive _ .

“Wheres The Senator?” He asks Peli.

“She left a few hours ago, I think her ship was repaired and she got tired of waiting.” Peli lies and you’re proud of her for being smart and holding information back, she knows you’re nearby. Maybe she says it to protect you, not knowing you have any skills to protect yourself and not counting on you to save her. But as Toro points a blaster at her, you and Mando are her only hope.

“Typical, she was always impatient, and a brat,” he comments and you almost scoff at his words, impatient? You would leave the shadows now just to kill him for that comment alone, never the less the way he’s holding the child so carelessly. Did he expect to come back here in all his bounty hunter glory, so irresistible that you would fuck him, be impressed in any manner by him? Not a chance. The only reason you slept with him before was because he was hot, which was rare for a Senate building guard, and available, and willing, perhaps throw in a bit of desperation.

It’s dark by the time Mando finally shows up and you’re relieved to feel him in the force, you could have come out of the dark sooner but you didn’t want to get in the way, you didn’t want to have Mando think you killed Toro, you didn’t have both sides of the story or even know where Mando was so you just opted to wait it out. You’re glad to see him too, relieved to know he’s okay and if you weren’t so mad at him for the way you’ve been treated by him you would almost say you missed him. That brief bonding moment during the battle and in the pond stuck with you, he wasn’t all bad. You recognize his shiny armour as he walks into the ship bay with his gun up.

Toro speaks and you almost groan at the sound of his annoying voice, what a laser brain. “Took you long enough Mando.” Toro teases as he walks into the light with a blaster to Peli’s head and the child in his arms. Toro tells Mando to drop his blaster and he hesitates but he actually listens, you’re a bit shocked. Toro instructs Peli to cuff Mando, and she does, you’re just waiting for a good time to act.

Toro is going on and on about traitors and the guild and becoming legendary, what a joke. Now is a good time as any to catch Toro off guard, you step out from the shadows and ignite your lightsabre, holding your hand out to grab Toro’s weapon from him.

“Senator?” He asks, confused and hurt to see you acting against him.

“Toro, it didn’t have to be like this?”

“Didn’t it? I couldn’t stay a Senate guard forever? Becoming a nobody, the only garnish to my reputation was sleeping with the prudish Senator.”

“Nobody called me that!” You yell defensively and Mando gives you this nod of his head as if to say, really that’s what you focus on.

Toro chuckles, knowing exactly what to say to piss you off, so now it’s your turn.

“Why couldn’t you just accept that your biggest life accomplishment would be being the son of one Senator and fucking another. You were never going to make it as a bounty hunter Toro, just forget it and  **go home** .”

“You are not an accomplishment, don't act so high and mighty. I'm going to kill the Mandalorian and take him in, I don't want to kill you but if you don't get out of my way I’m sure there are some syndicates who would pay a good price for a Senators’ head,” he raises his gun at Mando and before you know it there’s a flash of light, Mando shoots Toro making him fall, you freeze him in the force as you come up behind him, stabbing him with your lightsabre for good measure as you catch the child from his arms and let Toro fall to the ground.

Peli is startled by the whole ordeal, shoulders high as she remains still.

“You didnt have to stab him, he had already been shot.”

“Wanted to make sure he was dead,  _ good riddance _ .”

“Do you wish death upon all of your exes?” Mando teases as if you both hadn’t just killed someone after being held at gunpoint.

“Not my ex actually, and no, he’s a threat as long as he’s alive, a threat to the child, a threat to me, to you, to anybody unlucky enough to cross his path.”

“You seemed to have crossed his path a few times.”

“Poor judgment on my part, and as I said,  **unlucky** .”

“Not how he describes it.”

“Well, he won’t be describing anything anymore now will he!” You yell as you kick his body, you feel gross thinking of him talking about you in that way, telling Mando or really anybody any details of your intimate  _ moments of weakness _ spent with him. You feel sick knowing he told the other guards about your few late-night visits, you wish you never saw him, you wish you never allowed him into your bed. You frown and Mando notices thinking he’s said something to upset you.

“He didn’t, well he tried to give me details but I told him not to,” he says quietly and you just remain quiet too. Knowing Mando was offered such private details and information, some of which he could probably use against you and get you in trouble with the Senate, but he didn’t even listen to them, made you trust him a bit more, but then you remember Mando isn’t trustworthy.

It’s like Mando can sense your apprehensions to him.

“Look, Delia, I’m sorry for leaving you behind on that planet. I panicked and was focused on the kid and keeping him safe, I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

“Did it ever occur to you that you could use my help? That I was vital in keeping the child safe considering I stopped a bullet in mid-air for him, he would be dead if it wasn’t for me and how do you repay me? By making me think I’m important and that you trust me and then leaving me behind.” You yell, angry and upset and trying to cry because you always cry when you’re mad. And Jedi’s aren't supposed to act on such emotions anyways, you take a deep breath and close your eyes.

“I know and I said I'm sorry.”

Deep breath, calm, centred, you have a mini-meditation session in your head as Mando turns to Peli and offers her payment and the pit droids drag the body away. 

“Listen, I’m leaving this planet, I don’t know where I’m going yet, but do you want to come?”

“I do, what about my droids should I leave them here? Send them home?”

Mando groans at the mention of droids, “no just, wait how did you find me?” he asks distracted by the questions he wanted to ask you earlier but not in front of Toro.

“I have a tracker on the kid and a tracker on your ship, my ship has reflector shields we followed you almost the whole way here once I realized you were gone.”

“How’d you get past Cara?” He asks now worried that he shouldn’t have put his friend up against you after watching you kill those raiders and now Toro, who may have already been dead but  _ still _ .

“Oh, your little friend you put up against me? I put all her weapons on the roof and walked away, after saying a few choice words.”

“Smart.”

“I could have taken her though.” You comment and he chuckles at your vigour.

“Well just have your pilot droid follow my ship.”

“I ride with you?” You ask and Mando tries to act annoyed like it’s an inconvenience but he actually does want you with him on his ship, for what or why he isn’t sure.

“Yeah, with the kid,” he makes up the excuse so he doesn't seem so eager and he’s glad when you smile up at him before poking the kid on the nose and walking onto his ship.

“Okay, we better go then!” You say excitedly as you walk into his ship. You tell L8 the plans through the com-link on your wrist. You walk in and walk straight to the front seat and sit down, not even stopping to make sure you were going the right way once inside the dark ship.

“How did you find the seat in the dark, do you have... night vision?” He asks and you smile at him almost as if you’re proud to say.

“No, no night vision, I’ve just been in here before, I broke into your ship while you were at that village.”

“Good to know, just when I thought you were the trustworthy type.”

“I am, didn’t you hear Toro say you could trust me?”

“Yeah look where that got him,” Mando jokes and you laugh as you sit down and hold the child in your lap waiting for Mando to start the ship. You feel strangely comfortable in his presence.

“Hey,” you go to defend yourself, “you shot first!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! check my Tumblr @swellwriting for more !! :)))


	6. No Questions Asked.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: a bit of violence
> 
> Summary: Mando and Delia go to visit an old friend and get themselves some credits (follows episode 6 of The Mandalorian show.)
> 
> Word Count: 4.7 k

This is only the second time you have ever been in Mando’s ship and yet you feel at home and at peace, a strange comfort and feeling of safety settles within you. Sure you don't 100% trust Mando yet but you are starting to, he seems like a good person who is just trying to protect a bounty target. If you think about it he has put so much at stake, put everyone second to keep this child alive and for what? No bounty, no glory just because it’s the right thing to do, and you don't blame him for not giving the kid up to you, you wouldn't do that either if you were him.

As you’re sat in the seat to his right, a bit behind him as he’s piloting the ship through space you can’t help but watch. You don't know how to fly and you’re always mesmerized with L8’s flying skills, Mando’s are just the same, a mechanical technique that comes from muscle memory, he’s been flying this ship for a long time.

The child fell asleep in your arms and you lay your head against the back of the seat and close your eyes, it has been a long day, a long few days... a long few weeks actually. You need some sleep.

“We can stop somewhere for the night if you’re tired,” Mando says when he turns to look at you.

“I’m fine,” you mumble and smile, sitting back up being careful not to move the child. “Did you figure out where we are going yet? A good place to hide?”

“Not yet, I have something I need to do first but we can stop on a planet for the night if you’re tired.”

“Oh does the mighty Mandalorian never get tired?”

He doesn't reply, just sort of hums or breathes and it comes out through his mask sort of distorted as he nods his head still looking forward, focusing on flying.

“So our plan is to find a planet to hide out on and regroup from there, try to get rid of the kid’s bounty?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the backup plan?” You ask, eager to hear it.

“The what?”

“The backup plan, like if all else fails what are you gonna do? Where are you gonna go, a backup  **planet** of sorts.” You say laughing at your own pun.

“Look, if I had a backup plan I’d be there right now. What’s your backup plan?” he asks sarcastically expecting you not to have one.

“Well, my back up plan is always to go home, no matter what, I’m safest at the senate building, even though the New Republic is not based on Chadrila right now I still have some senate guards there ready to protect me. So if all else fails I just go home. I had planned to bring and future students there anyways until Luke finds a place for the school.”

“Your plan is to go home, wow really well thought out, I’d love to do the same.”

“You can’t go back to Mandalore?”

“I'm not from  _ Mandalore _ .”

“What? You’re a Mandalorian?” You say bewildered at this discovery.

“It’s a tribe, not a race, the Empire attacked my planet, my parents were killed and I was taken in by the Tribe, as a  _ foundling _ .”

“Oh, what happened to your planet now?”

“Well the Empire’s probably gone from there now but I have nothing there to go back to, I don't have a  _ castle _ or guards to protect me,  _ or to sleep with _ .”

“Hey! I’m not some whore I didn’t sleep with all the guards, and I don't live in a castle either. I'm sorry about your parents and what happened to you but just because I didn’t know that doesn't mean you can be snippy with me.”

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “Just saying your guards don't seem to be very competent,  _ based on my experience _ .”

“That’s just Toro, he was only made a guard because he was too stupid to be a senator like his father, but his father didn’t want him having an unhonorable job, ironic that he achieved that himself. Anyways my  _ other guards  _ are very competent, besides, I’d have Luke eventually.”

“This Luke Skywalker sounds like a myth,” Mando says, jealousy unintentionally biting at his tone.

“Well he’s not, he taught me everything I know, well everything that I didn’t learn in a book. He’s a real Jedi, he helped defeat the Emporer.”

“Is that what happened?”

“Yes. You don't keep up with politics do you?”

“Well, I know that people said the Empire was gone and from my experience and annoyance they are very much **not gone** .”

“Well, we are working on it!” You defend the work the New Republic has been doing, it’s a big Galaxy and it’s hard to control.

“Sure looks like it, you’re being a really god Senator right now.”

He’s not sure why he’s in a bad mood right now, why he’s being so cold with you, he just feels in this moment that you are from such different walks of life,  _ a senator and an orphan bounty hunter _ .

“And you’re not being a very good bounty hunter but you don't see me complaining. Don't begin to judge my work when you have no idea what my job is. The New Republic is working hard and when the Senate calls upon me I will be there, my team on Chandrila is working on anything that needs to be done. Chandrila is a peaceful planet who trusts their government and trusts me, I do a good enough job that I can take this break, that I can walk away and the pillars I placed will not fall. They thrive when I’m there and they still thrive in my absence because I am  _ a good leader _ .”

“Then why leave it behind? Are you going to run for Senator again and train a new age of Jedi? And be a bounty hunter? You can’t have it all.”

“No, I will not be running for Senator again if you must know. I laid my path and made my mark and someone else can carry on the work I’ve done, the laws I have put in place won’t be changed because they are solid and from a good place. I believe the people of Chandrila will elect someone competent to replace me.”

Even as you’re clearly annoyed with his questioning of you after you prodded his sad backstory out of him you are still calm, not letting your emotions get a hold of you. Mando realizes you’re still sat back with the child in your arms undisturbed by your slight argument, your defending of yourself and your title and your work. That’s when he realizes you placed your blaster on the dash of his ship and your lightsaber is not on your hip but placed beside you, your guard is completely down. He realizes how trusting and naive you are, even if he does not want to hurt you, he  _ so easily could _ .

He feels a strong urge now to protect you, as strong and competent as you are you still need someone who is not a damn droid to have your back, you think the world is so much more capable of good than it really is.

Then for a moment as he ponders over it, thinking about you and what you said he wonders if you went into his mind and read his thoughts to see if he held malice against you, or if you can sense whether someone is good or not.

“So, your  _ Jedi _ powers, what can you do with those.”

“They aren’t really powers, I am just in touch with the force, the force is a living thing it surrounds everything and I can just sort of tap into it, use it to my advantage but respect it as well.”

“But what does that allow you to do?”

“I can move things with my mind if that’s what you’re asking. I can also move myself with the force, I can sense things with the force, which is how I use my lightsaber without cutting all of my limbs off, I can push and pull things, I can see force visions, I can get into people’s minds, I can sense energies, and a lot of other things I have yet to learn.”

“Have you ever gone in my mind?” He asks quietly.

“Yeah, just once.”

He turns to look at you quickly and you have to reword your statement to explain yourself, going into someone’s mind is a very invasive thing.

“Okay, wait let me explain, so it was just once when you were getting attacked by the other ship before Tatooine, my ship has no weapons so I couldn’t help you, I just had to sit in my ship and watch and I just wanted to know if you were okay,” you stop getting shy at revealing your worry over him, “-and the kid, I just wanted to know how you were handling the situation, what your next move was. I would never actually go through your mind and force through your thoughts and memories, that’s a very painful process usually,”

He just nods, he trusts you a bit more knowing you don’t go through his mind, knowing you weren’t reading his every thought but also knowing you were worried about him provides him with this strange comfort that settles heavy in his gut. This reassurance that you care about him, in this weird sort of way, you want him to be okay and knowing you trust him without having to know his every intent, you just trust him. He smiles under his helmet before he can suppress what the hell is going on in his head.

You fall asleep for a few hours in your chair, Mando puts the ship on autopilot and does the same. As you slept he made a plan in his head to get some more credits, he wanted both of you to be well-rested though in case his plan backfired.

The kid wakes before you, reaching up and pulling on your hair making you smile as you open your eyes.

“Well good morning to you too,” you coo and he makes a few bubbly noises in reply.

“Are you awake under all that Beskar?” You joke and Mando straightens his posture blinking a few times to wake himself up.

“Yes, I made a call while you were asleep and sent your droids to take your ship to a nearby ship bay until we can do this job.”

“You accepted a bounty?” You ask and he shakes his head turning in his seat to face you.

“No, I got a job with an old crew member I used to run with before I joined the Guild. This will get me the credits I need.”

“I can give you credits?” You say, easily willing to give away money to this man who isn’t even asking for it.

“No, I don't take credits for doing nothing, besides I need quite a few, and not all New Republic credits either.”

Your smile fades as you realize you are no help, no matter how big your bank account is New Republic credits can be just a useless as Emperial ones in some places.

“Just trust me on this,” he states before turning around and flying into a floating ship base. 

Once he lands you follow him out of the ship, leaving the kid hidden.

“Mando!” A large man with a big beard yells, voice bounding as he smiles wide and shakes his hand, “is that you under that bucket?”

“Ran,” Mando replies, and though this man seems like he is a friend you can tell by Mando’s voice that it’s not the purest of friendships. You silently listen in on their conversation, stood behind them looking very out of place. 

You had changed out of your dirty sandy outfit into one of your more tame dresses. It was completely black, thin cotton dress that had only one black lace sleeve and left the other arm bare, the cotton went over your covered shoulder and a link of chains held it tight around your neck, a black leather belt was tight on your waist and the skirt trailed all the way to the floor. There was a slit letting your right leg be visible with a layer of black lace covering the entire skirt even over the slit. It was dark and elegant and made you look mysterious, still out of place but less like a pretty princess or a senator. You left your hair tied in two low messy buns behind your ears and opted for no makeup aside from slick eyeliner.

The layer of lace crept over your covered right shoulder to form a sort of cape which allowed you to conceal your sabre on your lower back, your blaster was harder to reach under your dress strapped on your thigh. Worst comes to worst you tear the dress, no big deal.

You’re busy thinking about where you blaster is hidden on your thigh when you hear mention of you, Mando ensures you are fine and trustworthy, a good shot. You had heard them discussing the rules before and you linger over them in your head before the man, Ran, turns to you.

“So who exactly are you, what are you gonna bring to the team?”

“Mando said I’m good, that’s all you need to know, I heard the policy is no questions asked.” You state matter of factly as you stand your ground.

“Oh she’s a quick one,” Ran jokes, giving this look to Mando after he looks you down head to toe before nodding his head for Mando to walk with him. “Stay here,” he says and you listen, standing by the ship and scoping out the place, making sure no one touches the ship that has your one and only future student inside.

When they walk back over to you another man is with them, he’s bald and has about four maybe more blasters strapped to him.

“This ship looks like a Canto Bight slot machine, woah ...speaking of Canto Bight slot machines?” He jokes looking at you in your fancy dress.

“Are you familiar with  _ machines _ you have to pay to use?” You counter his demeaning joke making a faux sympathetic face and the red guy walking over laughs. You learn his name is Burg, and the bald one is Mayfeld. You get introduced to a droid named Zero and a purple Twi’lek named Xi’an who proceeds to hold Mando in a headlock with a knife to his throat.

You feel that he is calm so you stay still, ready to attack if need be, your fingers twitch as the force twirls around them. She flirts with him in this sort of passive-aggressive way that makes you wonder what happened between them before, you never took Mando as someone who ever had relationships with people at all.

The boys make jokes at her heartbreak caused by Mando leaving but she’s quick to bite back.

“Oh, I’m all business now, learned from the best, looks like he’s forgotten though?” She looks at you and then to Mando and smiles flashing her white fangs.

“We aren’t-” Mando goes to argue but Xi’an just laughs this squeaky sort of annoying noise before she interrupts him.

“Sure you aren’t, let’s go.” She says and then turns and winks at you, which makes you uncomfortable, your stomach twists and you aren’t sure why.

They begin to go over the plans when they pull up a holo of a New Republic ship which makes your stomach drop.

“Now, we got a limited window to board, find our friend and get out of there.”

“That’s a New Republic Prison Ship.” Mando comments and you are glad you don't have to be the one to bring it up. They begin to argue and talk about how the ship is manned by droids. Regardless you are worried because if you get caught helping criminals break a prisoner out of a New Republic prison ship your career, your name and everything you built will be ruined. People will  **hate you** , they will want your head on a stick.

-

Once you are all on the ship you are last to get into the lower part where everyone else is, you get down there mid-conversation as Xi’an mentions something called allzoc III and then makes the snide comment, “See I know who you  _ really _ are,” and then playfully glares at you.

“Does he ever take off the helmet?” Mayfeld asks and Xi’an just giggles before she mocks him and doesn't answer Mayfeld’s question under the notion that  _ a lady never tells _ , so Mayfeld turns to you.

“You seen his face?”

“No. I tend to respect people’s personal space so when someone asks me not to do something I listen.” You bite back at him.

“Delia,” Mando warns, he thinks you are always picking fights you can’t handle, though he’s seen you take on much worse.

You go up to the cockpit for a moment and talk to Zero but when you hear a commotion you come back down, you use the force without thinking and seem to float to the basement of the ship luckily no one pays any mind to it.

Maynard is holding the kid and pretends to drop it.

“Hurt the kid and you suffer a much worse fate.” You state calmly but sternly, trying to sound intimidating but he just laughs in your face.

“Oooh, a much worse fate, empty threats kid.”

“Not a kid.”

“Who are you then? Come on I heard you wouldn’t spill at the base, tell us a little about yourself.”

“My name is Delia.”

“Is it?”

“To you it is.”

That’s when Mando realizes that might not be your  _ actual _ name.

“What do you do?” Xi’an joins the interrogation, standing up and walking really close to you twirling her knife between her fingers.

“I’m a bounty hunter. I’m shadowing Mando here. Any more questions?”

“Maybe,”

“Too bad.” You state leaning really close to her face until she’s the one to back away then you spin away from the group.

Hyperspace drops and you manage to catch the kid holding him close before putting him back in his bed. The group complains about the bumpy landing before Mayfeld takes charge.

“Alright, we got a job to do, Mando you are up. Delia you’re staying in the ship to guard our pilot.”

“I am not playing guard.”

“Yes you are,” Mando argues and you huff.

“Fine,” you agree crossing your arms and sitting on one of the storage crates as the team slowly leaves the ship and their voices fade, you walk up to talk to Zero to monitor their progress. It’s not until many minutes later when they set off a New Republic beacon that you manage to sneak down into the ship without Zero noticing and go to help them. You were not going to stand up there and let all of you get caught.

When you meet up with the group, your blaster is in your hands but you decide to play dumb because you notice Mando isn’t with them but yous till sense his life force on the ship.

“Hey guys where’s Mando?”

“What are you doing down here?” Mayfeld groans.

“You sounded like you needed help, where’s Mando?” You keep your voice sweet and make yourself sound excited to be down here, a large fake smile plastered on your lips. Mayfeld looks to Xi’an and she shrugs at him before he begins his lie.

“He’s uh, in the control room, said he could turn off the beacon, he’ll meet us on the ship.”

“Oh okay.” You nod with a smile. “Is this the former prisoner?”

“Hello, girl.” He almost purrs at you and his sister groans.

“Welcome to the free world.” You joke trying to act casual.

“Not free yet,” Mayfeld says.

You hear a voice through their coms that sounds like Zero but you don't have one so you can exactly hear what he is saying. You focus in on Mayfeld’s thoughts to understand what’s going on - they trapped Mando in a prison cell, and apparently he has escaped - good news.

The group argues and you act oblivious.

“Problem?” You ask as the lights flicker out, Mando closes them in not realizing he’s trapping you with them.

They start running so you follow suit until the door closes right behind you and you get stuck with Qin and Mayfeld.

You follow them until you reach a pile of destroyed droids.

“Mando’s handy work I presume,” you say with a chuckle and everything was going fine, they weren't paying to much attention to you, and they haven’t tried to kill you yet, too busy with their own lives. Not to mention they think of you as some dumb kid and not a threat.

“Senator Y/L/N, is that you?” A voice calls out from a cell across from you, a decrepit old man, ex-senator turned imperialist who’s locked up for betraying the Republic.

Your face drops and both men stop and turn to you.

“Senator?” Mayfeld says and laughs in disbelief, “you are not a  _ fucking Senator _ .”

“Oh, she is! The current Senator of Chandrila I believe! Though my news might be a bit outdated since you seem to be doing something very un-senator like aboard a New Republic prison ship.”

You ignore the man as Mayfeld pushes you against the wall and points a blaster to your head. “You better start explaining yourself.”

“You brought a kriffing senator to my breakout heist!” Qin yells.

“Mando brought her I didn’t know!” Mayfeld argues and you just stay calm for the moment.

-

Mando, after fighting off Burg looks at the screen and realizes he traped you with Mayfeld and Qin. You use the force to push Mayfeld off of you and into Qin knocking them both over, then you run away, Mando quickly closes the door behind you blocking them. Both men pound on the metal door and start arguing, they split up to find you and Mando and  _ kill you both _ .

You are too flustered to focus when you sense that Mando and kid are both in danger, you need to get Mando and get back to the ship fast.

The time is running out as you run down the halls, prisoners call and yell at you, you try to focus on where you can feel Mando is through the fore, turning corners and lifting doors out of your path. Finally, you come up behind Mando as he runs into Xi’an. She throws knives at him and you use the force to stop them midair.

“Now that’s not playing fair,” she complains with a snarky laugh.

“Who said anything about playing fair?” you tease and your jealousy clouds your mind and you let a knife slips past your hold hitting into your stomach and knocking you down. You focus your thoughts away from the pain.

Mando fights her off as you recover from the shock, he brings a knife to her throat and uses the blunt handle of the knife to knock her out. You ignite your lightsaber ready to kill her,  _ stab her back _ , it’s only fair but Mando stops you.

“What? Soft spot for your ex?” You scoff and he ignores your question.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“You’re welcome!” You say since you did stop those knives from even scratching his armour.

“No, you should be on the ship like I said! You can’t get caught here!” 

“You were in danger!”

Mando drags Xi’an into a cell and tosses her in, you notice and unconscious Burg is also on the ground.

Mando dramatically walks down the halls hiding whenever the light flickers on so you mimic him doing the same. Just as Mando gets behind Mayfeld you step out into the hallway in front of him, igniting your lightsaber, bright blue contrasts against the red flashing lights.

“No!” He yells as he shoots at you, you deflect the laser bullets as he turns to Mando behind him who gets him in a chokehold, you walk forward with your lightsaber in hand.

“No,” he mumbles and you roll your eyes.

“Calm down,” you say as you switch off your lightsaber and flip it in your hand so the hilt hits Mayfeld in the head perfectly knocking him out so he can go with the others.

“What an asshole that guy was, he deserved to die for his comments alone.”

“Do you take pride in killing assholes?” He asks referring to Toro and now this.

“No, or else I might just kill you!” You tease and nudge him with your elbow.

You hear Qin near the exit and Mando yells his name, you stay around the corner.

They start bartering and you lean your head against the wall.

“He’s lying!” You say reading his mind and coming around the corner repeating out the negative balance in his credit account. Then you use the force to keep Qin frozen as Mando cuffs him.

They both get in before you, Mando shoots the droid who was about to harm the child, you quickly grab the child and hold him, apologizing rapidly for leaving him behind. 

The ride back to their base is mostly silent as you fuss over the kid. Once you get there you follow Mando out, leaning against the ship and ready to back Mando up if he needs it.

“This girl must be pretty special if she survived and some of my best crew didn’t.” Ran comments, looking at your and your dress that’s a bit torn but other than that still fine. Your stomach is bleeding but you don't even feel it right now, the blood hidden by the dark fabric.

“No questions asked,” you emphasize.

As Mando closes the door you warn him that they are thinking of sending a fighter jet after you. 

“I know.” He says and quickly flies away.

“They are deploying a fighter now!” You yell to him from the window near the back.

The New Republic X-Wings appear just in time and you run back to the front of the ship to watch as the whole base explodes.

“You’re a genius.” You say in awe.

“Is that a compliment? Not used to those from you.”

You are practically sat on his armrest to get a view through the front window when you hug him in this weird sort of sideways hug, it’s out of excitement, his armour is cold on your bare skin and you realize as you abruptly back away and apologize for abrupt hug, that he’s covered in blood.

“You’re bleeding!” You shriek and that’s when he switches autopilot on and rubs the blood of his Beskar, he looks at your black dress that’s darker and wet over your stomach, the whole corset of the dress soaked in blood.

“No,  **you’re bleeding** .” He panics as he stands up and you fall onto the ground.

The child makes a noise of distress and Mando grabs your waist holding you up.

“I can fix this.” You say in a panic as you try to calm yourself, try to force heal like you read in those books but haven’t gotten a chance to try yet.

“It’s not working whatever you are doing!” Mando almost yells, concern fills his voice.

The child jumps down off the chair and places a hand on your stomach. You feel the force flow through you, it’s a simple stab wound but it’s bleeding a lot because it’s a fleshy wound and you were moving so much. It seals and you let out a breath you were holding in. You pat the child on the head and thank him, he coos back at your before sitting down, now extremely tired.

“Mando,” you whisper and he is reminded he still needs to find out your real name and tell you his own.

“Yeah,” is all he offers back.

“They know who I am, one of the prisoners recognized me, and the ones we left behind, they know who I am they’ve seen my face and they want us both dead.”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THanks for reading!!! you can find me on Tumblr @swellwriting for more :))

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Check out my Tumblr @swellwriting for more stuff like this!! The next part is coming very soon!!!


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